Richard K. De Atley,
The Press Enterprise
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — California voters favor the death penalty by a wide margin, but when given a choice, respondents to a statewide poll said they narrowly prefer a sentence of life in prison without parole over capital punishment.
The Field Poll survey conducted for The Press-Enterprise and other California media found 70 percent of those polled were in favor of the death penalty. The division between those favoring life in prison without parole was 42 percent, versus 41 percent for capital punishment. Another 13 percent said it would depend on circumstances.
Executions have been on hold in California since 2006 over issues of lethal injection administration.
There are 705 inmates on California’s Death Row in San Quentin State Prison. Of those 68, are from Riverside County and 35 are from San Bernardino County.
Majority approval of the death penalty cut across almost all the political spectrum. Democrats favored it by 63 percent; Republicans by 82 percent, non-partisan voters by 69 percent. Only those described as “strongly liberal” dipped below the 50 percent mark, with 41 percent favoring the death penalty.
“There is a very large majority who want to have the penalty of death for some types of serious crime,” said Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo. “That 70 percent represents an array of voters with different thresholds for using the death penalty. But they largely agree they would like to keep it.”
Poll respondent Lora Hassani, a non-partisan voter who lives in the East Valley area of San Bernardino County, said she favored the death penalty but would let circumstances determine capital punishment or life in prison without parole.
“If there are five gang members involved in a shooting, in my opinion only the one that pulled the trigger should face the death penalty,” said Hassani, who said she was on a jury that returned convictions in a non-death penalty murder trial earlier this year.
Voters for governor, senator and attorney general in the November general election all favor the death penalty. Percentages follow party lines.
Voters who said they will support Democrat Jerry Brown support the death penalty by 60 percent; Republican Meg Whitman’s potential voters by 81 percent. In the U.S. senate race, Democrat Barbara Boxer’s supporters favor the death penalty by 58 percent; the GOP’s Carly Fiorina’s by 83 percent.
In the state attorney general’s race, Republican Steve Cooley’s supporters favor the death penalty by 82 percent; Democrat Kamala Harris’ by 53 percent.
The Field Poll was based on the responses of 1,390 registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.8 percent.
Reach Richard K. De Atley at 951-368-9573 or rdeatley@PE.com
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