As the Economist reported, “Americans’ support for the death penalty is waning”. It appears that Americans are either getting weak or have friends and family on death row. In California, the land of tree huggers, there are over 650 people on death row, yet only 13 have ever been executed. As for Texas….
Texas remains the leader in a lot of areas, including execution rates. As of Jauary 2007 Texas had gotten rid of 401 useless members of society and currently only have 393 left. Some states are doing a good job, others seem to be doing bad. Let’s not talk about the 12 states that have suspended the death sentence. What’s with that, afraid?
Hopefully the 12 states that are too pansy to execute have only the most elite members of society who never commit any crimes.
AMERICANS’ support for the death penalty is waning, one state at a time. States have had jurisdiction over the issue since 1976 and so differences abound. Texas has executed most people; California has most death-row inmates but has executed only a small number. Since 2000, 12 states have suspended the death penalty, including New Jersey, which is moving towards formal abolition. Three have reversed the suspension this year. Last year two-thirds of states executed no one. Public opinion is also changing: a slim plurality of people said they would prefer to see prisoners locked up for life rather than executed, according to a recent poll.
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