"The great moral issues of our day cannot be decided by poll, public opinion poll," said Rev. Davida Foy Crabtree, conference minister for Connecticut Conference of the United Church of Christ.
1960 was the last time Connecticut used the death penalty as a means of punishment. As I have always claimed, states should enact legislation to allow for death without the possibility of parole if they want to get rid of the death penalty. With the possibility for error as high as it is in capital punishment cases (or any case as the case may be), it doesn't make sense to kill someone for a crime when the proof isn't 100%.
This poll suggests that voters in Connecticut feel the same way.
"Connecticut voters' views on the death penalty are similar to voters nationwide," said poll director Douglas Schwartz. "Support for the death penalty drops dramatically when voters are presented with the alternative of life in prison with no chance of parole."
There is no doubt that the death penalty generates a lot of discussion. Connecticut is going to have another difficult week ahead of it while debates continue, unrest begins to settle, and people wonder whether the death penalty is truly a necessary evil.
