Most In U.S. Support Life In Prison Over The Death Penalty

Most of the world's nations have abolished the death penalty as a punishment for crime. Out of the more than 180 countries in the world, only 20 executed at least one person in 2018.

The worst offenders were China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia -- all of whom executed at least a triple-digit number of people.

The United States was seventh in the world in the number of people they executed -- 25 people in 2018. That number is not as high as it has been in many past years. It's still too many.

Do we really want to be included in the nations that support the death penalty -- nations like China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Iraq, and Egypt? Shouldn't we be joining other developed nations that have abolished the death penalty -- like our friends and allies in Europe?

I think we should. In the 21st Century, state-sanctioned killing should not happen. There are better alternatives for a civilized nation.

Now there is a glimmer of hope for abolishing the death penalty in the United States. It comes in a new Gallup Poll -- done between October 14th and 31st of a national sample of 1,506 adults, with a 3 point margin of error.

The poll found that a majority of Americans still support the death penalty (56% support to 42% oppose). But the poll also had a hopeful sign.

As the chart below shows, an even larger majority (60% to 38%) say that life without parole is a better punishment than the death penalty for those who commit murder. This is the first time that life in prison has outpolled the death penalty in the United States. Maybe that is a sign that Americans are moving toward joining the rest of the civilized world.