Poll: Americans Still Prefer Death Penalty For Murder, Not Life Imprisonment
Steven Litvintchouk
May 19, 2003
Support for the Death Penalty Remains High at 74%
Slight majority prefers death penalty to life imprisonment as punishment
for murder
by Jeffrey M. Jones
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's latest update on the death penalty shows a
continued high level of public support for the death penalty for those
convicted of murder. When given a choice between the death penalty and
life imprisonment as a punishment for murder, a slim majority also
continues to favor the death penalty. Despite controversy over the death
penalty that led to moratoriums in Illinois and Maryland, a growing
percentage of the public believes the death penalty is applied fairly in
the United States, and by a two-to-one margin, Americans say the death
penalty is not imposed enough rather than imposed too often. Support for
the death penalty is high despite the belief of most Americans that
innocent people have been put to death in the past five years, although
most consider this a rare occurrence.
The poll, conducted May 5-7, finds 74% of Americans in favor of and 24%
opposed to the "death penalty for a person convicted of murder." Gallup
has asked this basic death-penalty-support question since the 1930s.
Support has been above 70% over the last two years, after having been in
the mid-to-high 60% range in 2000-2001. The current number is the
highest support level Gallup has obtained on this measure since May
1995, when 77% supported the death penalty. The highest support level
was 80% in 1994, and the lowest was 42% in 1966.
When asked to indicate which is the appropriate punishment for murder --
the death penalty or "life imprisonment, with absolutely no possibility
of parole"-- a slim majority, 53%, opts for the former, while 44% choose
the life imprisonment option. These numbers have changed very little in
past years, with about half of Americans, or slightly more, saying the
death penalty is the appropriate punishment. An August 1997 poll found
61% of Americans favoring the death penalty and only 29% favoring life
imprisonment.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr030519.asp
[The anti-death penalty activists even opposed the execution of Timothy
McVeigh. Doubtless they would believe that life imprisonment was the
appropriate punishment for Osama bin Laden. That would give bin Laden
years to become a Muslim version of Mumia--write memoirs and papers
denouncing America, and maybe even wait for other terrorists to try to
spring him from jail.
The nice thing about executing McVeigh and bin Laden is, they can't make
any more trouble from jail, as Mumia has.]
--
Steven D. Litvintchouk
Email: sdli...@earthlink.net
Robert
"Steven Litvintchouk" <sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3EC96329...@earthlink.net...
> POLL ANALYSES
> May 19, 2003
>
>
> Support for the Death Penalty Remains High at 74%
> Slight majority prefers death penalty to life imprisonment as punishment
> for murder
>
>
That proves that we are centuries behind Europe in enlightenment
Divin Marquis
> That proves that we are centuries behind Europe in enlightenment
It's more like you guys are running back towards the dark ages as fast as
you can.
yaweh
"Divin Marquis" <postm...@127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:pan.2003.05.20....@127.0.0.1...
American's murdered thousands of iraqis for no reason. Will they call for
their own deaths?
Steven Litvintchouk
So how would you suggest punishing Osama bin Laden, assuming we capture
him?
Let him sit in a jail, fed 3 times a day, watching TV, giving fawning
press interviews, and even writing exhortations to his supporters to
keep up the jihad?
And what if his supporters take Western hostages and demand bin Laden's
release or else the hostages will be killed?
No way.
Death is final.
Even Allah can't bring bin Laden back from the grave (the Quran doesn't
believe in resurrection).
Laura Bush - America's kid-killer
Divin Marquis
> So how would you suggest punishing Osama bin Laden, assuming we capture
> him?
>
> Let him sit in a jail, fed 3 times a day, watching TV, giving fawning
> press interviews, and even writing exhortations to his supporters to
> keep up the jihad?
I think that, should Ossama Bin Laden happen not to be (completely)
responsible for everything he's accused of, it would be indeed quite
convenient to shut him off for good so as to avoid having him reveal some
interesting facts. That's what scapegoats are for.
> And what if his supporters take Western hostages and demand bin Laden's
> release or else the hostages will be killed?
Better just kill all arabs right now, isn't it? Problem solved.
> No way.
>
> Death is final.
> Even Allah can't bring bin Laden back from the grave (the Quran doesn't
> believe in resurrection).
Ah, so that's why christianism > islam? Well guess what, Jedis are even
better than christians, since they believe in lifting up objects and doing
fancy shit with light sabers. Beats the shit out of miraculous bread
making.
Robert
>
>
> Divin Marquis wrote:
> >
> > On Tue, 20 May 2003 01:40:10 +0000, Robert wrote:
> >
> > > That proves that we are centuries behind Europe in enlightenment
> >
> > It's more like you guys are running back towards the dark ages as fast
as
> > you can.
>
> So how would you suggest punishing Osama bin Laden, assuming we capture
> him?
>
> Let him sit in a jail, fed 3 times a day, watching TV, giving fawning
> press interviews, and even writing exhortations to his supporters to
> keep up the jihad?
>
Gee whiz, you make jail sound like fun.
I know people who have experienced prison life and I believe their accounts
of its horror more than your platitudes.