A recent poll con­duct­ed in California showed that sup­port for life with­out parole for first-degree mur­der has increased among reg­is­tered vot­ers since 2000. When asked which sen­tence they pre­ferred for a first-degree mur­der­er, 42% of reg­is­tered vot­ers said they pre­ferred life with­out parole and 41% said they pre­ferred the death penal­ty. In 2000, when vot­ers were asked the same ques­tion, 37% chose life with­out parole while 44% chose the death penal­ty. Some com­men­ta­tors say that the increased sup­port for life with­out parole and decreased sup­port for the death penal­ty is very telling. Stefanie Faucher, asso­ciate direc­tor of Death Penalty Focus, said ​“I think they reflect a grow­ing pref­er­ence for life with­out parole as an alter­na­tive. It is more cost-effec­tive, is car­ried out more quick­ly and does­n’t drag vic­tims through years of appeals.” The Field Poll revealed that 70% of California’s reg­is­tered vot­ers sup­port the death penal­ty, but Faucher says that fig­ure rep­re­sents sup­port for the death penal­ty ​“in the abstract” and is less reveal­ing than people’s views on what pun­ish­ment they prefer.

(B. Egelko, ​“Field Poll finds 70% sup­port death penal­ty,” San Francsico Chronicle, July 22, 2010). Support for life with­out parole as an alter­na­tive to the death penal­ty has been gain­ing sup­port in nation­al polls as well. See Life Without Parole and Public Opinion.

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