State abolition group announces new name to reflect desire for alternatives

New poll shows death penalty supporters in minority in PA
State abolition group announces new name to reflect desire for alternatives

Download report of full poll results (PDF)

January 8, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HARRISBURG- A poll released today establishes that more Pennsylvanians prefer long sentences of incarceration rather than the death penalty as the punishment for even the worst murders. The new data comes on the heels of last week's report from a study commission in New Jersey that recommended abolition of capital punishment.

In its annual Penn State Poll, the Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg asked participants, "What do you think should be the penalty for persons convicted of murder?" Only 42.9% of respondents supported the death penalty when presented with alternative sentences. 45.1% of those surveyed supported either life without parole (35.5%) or life with parole (9.6%).

"The death penalty is failed public policy," said Karl Keys, spokesperson for Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, which commissioned the poll with four other groups. "More and more Pennsylvanians are realizing that capital punishment in our state is an antiquated, malfunctioning institution.

"If our state officials are serious about government reform, they will suspend executions and thoroughly study the death penalty. It's the responsible thing to do."

With the public's desire for alternatives to capital punishment increasing, the state's leading abolition group announced its name change with the new polling data. Pennsylvania Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty is now Pennsylvanians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (PADP).

"Our board of directors felt it was time for our name to reflect the mood of the people of Pennsylvania," Keys said. "The public is looking for alternatives to the death penalty."

856 participants from across the state took part in the Penn State Poll, which was commissioned by PADP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Amnesty International USA, Jewish Social Policy Action Network, and the Pennsylvania Council of Churches.

Keys attributed the new doubts about the death penalty to a variety of factors.

"The fact that innocent people have been sentenced to die, including in Pennsylvania, has played a major role in the shift in public opinion," Keys said, noting the six death row exonerations in the state and 123 nationwide. "When people ask how this happens, they learn more about the inability of the poor to get quality representation and the impact of race.

"Suddenly, they've opened themselves up to a whole new set of facts, including the taxpayers' costs of maintaining the death penalty and the ways that capital punishment fails victims' family members."

The Penn State Poll comes on the heels of the Death Penalty Information Center's 2006 Year End Report, which was released on December 14. In the report, DPIC noted that this year's Gallup Poll showed support for life without parole trumping the death penalty. The report also indicated a significant decrease in both death sentences and executions around the country and moratoria in ten different states.

The Illinois moratorium instituted by former Governor George Ryan is still in place and is now joined by New Jersey's halt to executions. Eight other states have suspended executions due to concerns around the lethal injection issue.

The poll's methodological report is available at the website of the Center for Survey Research, http://csr.hbg.psu.edu/poll.htm.