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Lethal

Five years ago, a vast majority of Americans supported the death penalty. One Gallup poll showed that 80 percent of Americans favored executing convicted murderers.


But in recent months, support for capital punishment has been eroding. According to Gallup, public support for the death penalty is now at 66 percent, its lowest level since 1981. Many citizens and politicians have reversed their views on the death penalty after seeing evidence that our flawed judicial system all too often convicts innocent people.

A recent study conducted by Columbia University revealed that nearly 7 of every 10 death penalty sentences imposed between 1973 and 1995 contained a serious judicial error, usually due to an incompetent defense or over-zealous prosecution.


Will we still be executing people in ten years? In twenty? The death penalty debate is far from over.



The Death Penalty's Other Victims
Dave Lindorff, Salon
When prosecutors eliminate jurors opposed to capital punishment...

Posted by: Alyscia Yellowman

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