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March 11, 2010
Spot-on commentary at C&C about legislative action on the death penalty
Over at Crime & Consequences, Kent Scheidegger has this notable and astute new post titled "Death Penalty Legislation." Here is how it begins:What a difference a year makes. There are three news stories about death penalty legislation in my Google Alerts email this morning, and all three are about state legislatures considering expanding their death penalty laws....
So what's going on here? Has public opinion on the death penalty shifted dramatically from last year, when repeals and contractions were on the table, to this year, when expansion is on the table in multiple states? No. Polls consistently report that support has been steady. The difference is that political tides have changed for unrelated reasons, producing a shift in which legislators feel confident of reelection and which feel uneasy.
March 11, 2010 at 02:50 PM | Permalink
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Comments
You have a strange notion of what constitutes "notable and astute" (unless it was tongue-in-cheek).
Posted by: peter | Mar 12, 2010 3:14:24 AM
Hmmmm ... "spot on"? Kent mentions three instances where DP expansion was proposed, but clicking through the link he provides on Virginia, the story adds this tidbit: "This year, eight states introduced bills to either abolish the death penalty or limit its application."
Kent Scheidegger: Trendspotter.
Posted by: Gritsforbreakfast | Mar 12, 2010 2:20:18 PM
