Some states have eliminated the death penalty and some still use it. But the death penalty is still an issue that affects all Americans, since the federal government has it as an option for some crimes. And on that issue, there is some good news and some bad news.
The good news is that support for the death penalty is dropping, and has been dropping for the last 20 years (see top chart). In 1995, the support was about 80% among the general population, and by 2015 that support has dropped to about 56% -- a difference of about 24 points. It has dropped by 6 points just since 2011 (second chart above).
The bad news is that it's not dropping fast enough, and a clear majority of 56% still support the death penalty. And they support it in spite of the fact that majorities of the population believe there is a risk of executing innocent people, it's not a deterrent to crime, and minorities are more likely to be executed than whites.
I find that very troubling -- especially the part about the risk of executing innocent people. In my opinion, there can never be a good excuse for executing an innocent person. About 71% believe there is a risk of executing an innocent person. Subtract the 44% who oppose the death penalty (or are unsure about it), and you get 27%. That means 27% of the population supports the death penalty inspire of believing that innocent people will probably be executed. I don't understand that. How can anyone be so bloodthirsty that they don't care if innocent people are killed?
Frankly, I don't understand why we still execute people in this country. No other civilized nation does it -- and continuing to allow it puts us in some very suspect company (like China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, etc.). I'm not saying we should excuse the vicious crimes that some commit, or that we should ever allow them to walk the streets again. But does killing people to show that killing people is wrong even make sense?
The charts on this page are from a survey done by the Pew Research Center between March 25th and 29th of a random national sample of 1,500 adults, with a margin of error of 2.9 points.
