Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

New Yorkers OK with Death Penalty

May 07, 2007

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in New York believe capital punishment is correct in some instances, according to a poll by SurveyUSA released by WABC. 67 per cent of respondents think the state of New York should have a death penalty for those convicted of murder.

In addition, 71 per cent of respondents support capital punishment for those convicted of killing police officers, and 79 per cent would apply the death penalty to those convicted of killing people during an act of terrorism.

Since 1976, 1,072 people have been put to death in the United States, including 15 this year. More than a third of all executions have taken place in the state of Texas. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia do not engage in capital punishment, and moratoriums on executions have been issued in Illinois and New Jersey.

New York reinstated capital punishment in 1995. In June 2004, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that the state's death penalty is illegal. The Empire State has not executed a single person since 1963.

Earlier this month, state senator Joe Griffo began a campaign to fully reinstate capital punishment in New York, declaring, "I have received hundreds of calls, e-mails and letters from constituents who want to see the death penalty restored in New York. After sitting through the funerals of two police officers (Thomas Lindsey and Joseph Corr) in our community in a little over a year, it is clear that we need action now to make sure that there are repercussions for those who would take the life of another in cold blood."

Polling Data

Do you think the state of New York should or should not have a death penalty for those convicted of murder?

Should

67%

Should not

29%

Not sure

4%

Do you think the state of New York should or should not have a death penalty for those convicted of killing police officers?

Should

71%

Should not

24%

Not sure

5%

Do think the state of New York should or should not have a death penalty for those convicted of killing people during an act of terrorism?

Should

79%

Should not

18%

Not sure

3%

Source: SurveyUSA / WABC-TV
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 500 New York adults, conducted on Apr. 26, 2007. Margin of error is 4.2 per cent.

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