Not everyone believes in the Old Testament notion of "an eye for
an eye." Americans may be more likely than those in some other
developed nations may be to favor that type of
reciprocal justice; according to Gallup Polls conducted late last
year in three countries*, 64% of Americans favor the death penalty
for a person convicted of murder. Canadians are about evenly split
on the subject, with 48% in favor of the death penalty and 49%
opposed. In Great Britain, a slim majority supports the death
penalty, with 55% in favor and 41% opposed.
The governments of both Great Britain and Canada abolished the
death penalty for murder some time ago, in 1965 and in 1976,
respectively. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down state death
penalty laws in 1972 and did not reinstate the punishment again
until 1976. The first execution after the moratorium took place in
January 1977, when Gary Gilmore was executed by firing squad in
Utah. Currently, capital punishment is legal in 38 U.S. states.
Conflicting Views
The death penalty is a deeply divisive issue, with vocal
supporters on both sides. The presumptive Democratic presidential
nominee John Kerry and Republican incumbent George W. Bush typify
those opposing viewpoints. Kerry is generally opposed to the death
penalty, under all circumstances but one. He feels that capital
punishment should be an option when dealing with convicted
terrorists. Bush, in his political biography, A Charge to
Keep, said: "I support the death penalty because I believe
that if administered swiftly and justly, capital punishment is a
deterrent against future violence and will save innocent
lives."
However, polls by Gallup and other organizations show that more
Americans believe the death penalty does not act as a deterrent to
committing murder than believe it does.
Comparing homicide statistics in the United States, Britain, and
Canada casts some doubt on the argument that the death penalty is a
deterrent to committing murder. In 2001, there were 554 murders in
all of Canada. That was 8 more than the previous year, but 167
fewer than in 1975, the year before the death penalty was
abolished. From 1972 and 1976, when the death penalty was not
imposed in the United States, there were between 8.8 and 9.8
homicides per 100,000. After the death penalty was reinstated, the
number of homicides (according to FBI statistics) reached a peak --
10.2 per 100,000 -- in 1980. After several fluctuations in the
1980s and early 1990s, the number has been on a downward trend and
was 5.6 per 100,000 in 2001.
The homicide statistics in Great Britain are similar to those in
Canada. The murder rate has held fairly steady at between 1 and 2
per 100,000 for decades. Abolishing the death penalty seems to have
had no effect on the number of reported homicides. However, more
than half of Britons favor capital punishment.
Bottom Line
Some states, such as Illinois and Maryland, have issued
moratoriums on the death penalty to see if it is administered
accurately and fairly. But policy shifts aren't likely to quell
vociferous arguments for and against the death penalty in the
United States. Indeed, the arguments are still ongoing in Great
Britain and Canada, even decades after the abolition of the death
penalty in those countries.
*Results in the United States are based on telephone
interviews with 1,017 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted
Oct. 6-8, 2003. For results based on the total sample of national
adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of
sampling error is ±3 percentage points. The survey was
conducted by Gallup USA.
Results in Canada are based telephone interviews with 1,012
national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Dec. 5-11, 2003. For
results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is
±3 percentage points. The survey was conducted by Gallup
Canada.
Results in Great Britain are based telephone interviews with
1,000 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Dec. 2-21,
2003. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one
can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling
error is ±5 percentage points. The survey was conducted by
Gallup UK.
