When asked “Generally what is your view of the death penalty?” those who strongly favor the death penalty decreased by 16% from 1999 to 2004. The number of respondents that somewhat favor the death penalty increased by 7%. Over the six years, the trend for strongly favoring the death penalty seems to be subsiding into a more moderate view.
When presented with two alternatives to the death penalty for someone convicted of first-degree murder, the number of people supporting the death penalty decreased from 47% in 1999 to 40% in 2004. In 1999 53% of respondents preferred alternative sentences, while in 2004 the number decreased to 51%. In 2004, 10% of respondents did not know or said it depended on the circumstances whether the death penalty should be imposed
When given the alternative of life in prison with no parole plus restitution, less than half of the respondents preferred the death penalty. Restitution was described as when the convicted murderer would work in prison to compensate the victim’s family. In 1999 46% of respondents preferred the death penalty, while in 2004 the number decreased to 34% of respondents. In general, this data shows that people wish to impose a meaningful punishment, but not necessarily the death penalty.
When asked about a three-year moratorium on the death penalty, in both 1999 and 2004, over half of respondents were willing to support such a measure. A 4% increase of those in favor occurred from 1999 to 2004.
Between 1999 and 2004, 18% more respondents said that their State Senator or Representative’s opinion on the death penalty would not affect their vote. In 1999, 55% of respondents said the way their legislator would vote on the death penalty would affect their vote, as opposed to 39% in 2004.
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