A recent poll by the Washington Post revealed more Marylanders pre­fer a sen­tence of life in prison with no chance of parole over the death penal­ty for some­one con­vict­ed of mur­der– by 49% to 40%. Maryland has had a de fac­to mora­to­ri­um on exe­cu­tions since 2006, after the state’s high­est court ruled that pro­ce­dures for lethal injec­tions had not been prop­er­ly adopt­ed. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley spon­sored leg­is­la­tion to abol­ish the death penal­ty, and a state com­mis­sion in 2008 rec­om­mend­ed that the leg­is­la­ture repeal cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, but the even­tu­al mea­sure was amend­ed to sharply restrict the death penal­ty instead. The last exe­cu­tion in Maryland was car­ried out in 2005.

In gen­er­al, Marylanders sup­port the death penal­ty when not pre­sent­ed with an alter­na­tive sen­tence by a mar­gin of 60% to 32%. The poll revealed racial and gen­der divi­sions on the issue. Whites are far more like­ly than blacks to favor cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment (70% to 43%), and more men than women sup­port the death penal­ty (66% to 54%).

(“Md. vot­ers remain divid­ed on death penal­ty,” Washington Post, May 11, 2010). Learn more about Life Without Parole or read more Public Opinion articles.

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