In the book, A Life for a Life: The American Debate Over the Death Penalty, author Michael Dow Burkhead, a psychologist who has worked with criminal offenders for 25 years, explores the various trends in public opinion that influence crime prevention efforts, create public policy, and reform criminal law. He examines eight core issues about the use of executions: cruel and unusual punishment, discrimination, deterrence, due process, culpability, scripture, innocence, and justice. The book provides a brief history of capital punishment in the United States from the earliest known execution in1608 to the present time. Additional topics include the regionalization of capital punishment sentences, the spiritual and scriptural debate over the death penalty, the role of DNA evidence in modern death sentences, and the ongoing effects recent court rulings. The appendix includes recent state commission reports on the death penalty from Maryland, California, New Jersey, and Tennessee.
In a recent opinion poll conducted by Elon University in North Carolina, less than half of those polled believe that the the death penalty is the “most appropriate punishment for first degree murder.” When the same question was asked in 2005, 61% chose the death penalty as the appropriate sentence. In 2009, that number had dropped to 48%, the same percentage recorded in the University's 2007 poll. "I would imagine the difference in opinion on our surveys is somewhat attributable to a realization among the public of the fallibility of the process or system, or at least an increased awareness about those cases in which people convicted of crimes and serving sentences were later exonerated," said pollster Hunter Bacot. About 39% said life in prison without parole would be the better punishment in 2009, an increase from the 27% who supported that option in 2005.
The Gallup Poll’s latest national survey of American opinion on the death penalty found that support for capital punishment dropped by 5 percentage points from 2007, down to 64% support from 69% last year. The pecentage of those opposing capital punishment rose from 27% to 30%. This poll reflects that support for the death penalty is equal to the lowest level in the Gallup Polls during the past 30 years. Support had reached a high of 80% in 1994.