PUBLIC OPINION: Pennsylvanians Prefer Life Sentences Over Death Penalty

A recent poll admin­is­tered by the Center for Survey Research at Penn State Harrisburg revealed that more Pennsylvanians pre­fer a life sen­tence over the death penal­ty for those con­vict­ed of mur­der. The poll found that only 42.9% of respon­dents chose the death penal­ty when also giv­en the sen­tenc­ing options of life with parole and life with­out parole. A total of 45% of respon­dents chose either life-with­out-parole (35.5%) or the sen­tence of life-with-parole (9.6%). Larry Frankel, leg­isla­tive direc­tor for the ACLU, cit­ed Pennsylvania’s six death-row exon­er­a­tions com­pared with three exe­cu­tions since 1976 as ​“proof the sys­tem does­n’t work all the time.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan. 10, 2007). 

Additional infor­ma­tion about the poll may be found at https://​www​.aclu​pa​.org/​d​o​w​n​l​o​a​d​s​/​P​e​n​n​S​t​a​t​e​P​o​l​l​D​P​r​e​s​u​l​t​s.pdf.

See Public Opinion and Life Without Parole.