Most Californians Support Halting Executions Pending Study, Poll Says

Three out of four California adults favor a moratorium on executions until a study of the death penalty’s fairness is completed, a Field Poll released Thursday shows.

Support for the death penalty has fallen to 63% in California, its lowest level in nearly 30 years, the poll found.

California Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said a moratorium on executions is not needed in the state to review capital punishment. Lockyer, who serves as the state’s chief prosecutor when convicts appeal the death penalty, said no executions are scheduled in California for at least the next six months.

The poll showed that 73% of those asked favor a halt of all executions until a study of its fairness is carried out.

The Field Poll found that, while support for the death penalty remains overwhelming among California Republicans at 83%, just over half of Democrats favor it. Support is slightly higher among men than women, and 53% of Latinos approve of capital punishment.

Overall support is now the lowest since 1971, when the figure was 58%, the poll showed. Support peaked in 1986, when 83% of Californians favored it, and has dropped steadily ever since.

The poll questioned 493 California adults June 9 through Sunday. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.