Public sup­port for the death penal­ty has dropped sharply in Houston, Texas accord­ing to the 2005 Houston Area Survey con­duct­ed by Rice University. For many years Texas has led the coun­try in exe­cu­tions, and Harris County (Houston) has led all Texas coun­ties in send­ing inmates to death row and in exe­cu­tions. But most Houston res­i­dents would pre­fer the sen­tence of life with­out parole rather than the death penal­ty for those who commit murder. 

Sixty-four per­cent chose life with­out parole, increas­ing from 57% who chose that option in 2003.

Overall, sup­port for the death penal­ty (with no alter­na­tive offered) dropped to 60% this year, down from 68% sup­port in 1999, accord­ing to the sur­vey. (See poll results, Houston Chronicle, May 6, 2005). See

Public Opinion

and

Life Without Parole

.

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