Capital Punishment

Your answers will remain COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL. Thank you for choosing to fill out this questionnaire.

Please use only 1 answer for the multiple choice questions. If answering in words is a possibility, please choose only one option unless otherwise noted.

1. What is your gender?

□ Male □ Female

1. What is your age?

□ 14-16 □ 17-19 □ 20-24

□ 25-30 □ 31-35 □ 36-40

□ 41-45 □ 46-50 □ 51 or older

3. What is the highest level of education you have achieved?

□ Some high school □ High school

□ Some college/university □ College/University

□ Postgraduate

4. Which of the following political parties is closest to your own beliefs?

□ NDP/Socialist □ Liberal/Democratic □ Centrist

□ Libertarian □ PC/Republican

5. What do you feel is the most important part of justice? (choose either a box or type in own answer)

□ Keeping the convicted from being released into the public

□ Rehabilitating the criminal, if possible

□ Punishing the criminal for their act

Other:

6. Explain the term “capital punishment”. (type answer)

7. The purpose of imprisonment is to: (check the boxes which apply, and/or write in the space provided)

□ Act as a deterrent to future criminals □ Rehabilitate criminals

□ Keep the criminal from hurting others

Other: (write in space below)

8. If you believe that capital punishment is a deterrent to criminal actions, which keeps more criminals from committing crimes?

□ The fear of death □ The fear of the pain of execution

Other: (write in space below)

9. Should a victim’s family be able to choose between a life sentence and the death penalty for a criminal, allowing that either punishment is suitable?

□ Yes □ No □ Sometimes

Please explain your answer:

10. Is capital punishment permitted in your province/state? (check one box only)

□ Yes (if yes, go to 10. a) □ No (if no, go to 10. b on next page)

□ Don’t know (skip all of question 10)

10. a) Do you approve of the death penalty? (check one box only)

□ Yes □ No

i) If yes, why? (check boxes which apply, and/or write in the space provided)

□ An eye for an eye is fair

□ It is more of a deterrent than a life sentence

□ Keeping inmates in jail is expensive

□ Executed criminals don’t escape and hurt others again

Other:

ii) If no, why? (check boxes which apply, and/or write in the space provided)

□ Killing others for revenge serves no purpose

□ It is less of a deterrent than a life sentence

□ The appeals process takes up too much court time

□ The appeals process is too expensive

□ The possibility that an innocent person may be executed

Other:

10. b) Do you want capital punishment to be brought back? (check one box only)

□ Yes □ No

i) If yes, why? (check boxes which apply, and/or write in the space provided)

□ An eye for an eye is fair

□ It is more of a deterrent than a life sentence

□ Keeping inmates in jail is expensive

□ Executed criminals don’t escape and hurt others again

Other:

ii) If no, why? (check boxes which apply, and/or write in the space provided)

□ Killing others for revenge serves no purpose

□ It is less of a deterrent than a life sentence

□ The appeals process takes up too much court time

□ The appeals process is too expensive

□ The possibility that an innocent person may be executed

Other:

11. If an inmate convicted of (a) violent crime(s) escaped from his/her prison, how should they be dealt with? (check one box only, or write in space provided)

□ Put them back in jail □ Put them back in jail with no possibility of parole

□ Put them back in jail with extended sentence, no possibility of parole

□ Death penalty

Other:

12. If an inmate convicted of (a) violent crime(s) escaped from his/her prison and committed another violent crime, how should they be treated? (check one box, or write in space provided)

□ Put them back in jail □ Put them back in jail with no possibility of parole

□ Put them back in jail with extended sentence, no possibility of parole

□ Death penalty

Other:

13. Have you ever been a victim of a violent crime?

□ Yes – and it has changed my views on capital punishment

□ Yes – and it has not changed my views on capital punishment

□ No

□ Prefer not to answer

14. Do you know a relative or friend who was a victim of a violent crime?

□ Yes – and it has changed my views on capital punishment

□ Yes – and it has not changed my views on capital punishment

□ No

□ Prefer not to answer

15. Do you feel that capital punishment is humane? (check one box only)

□ Yes □ No

Please explain your answer:

16. Assuming that capital punishment is allowed by law, should there be instances where a criminal who normally would receive the death penalty should not receive it?

□ Yes □ No

i) If yes, name instances where you feel this would be fair (write in the space below)

17. If a jury is unwilling to impose the death sentence on the defendant, should the judge have the power to do so? (check one box only)

□ Yes □ No □ Undecided

18. Do you know of any instances when a person was executed for crimes they did not commit?

□ Yes □ No

19. If capital punishment is permitted in your province/state, and if there are death row inmates who have not had modern forensic (scientific) tests to prove their guilt, should they be allowed to have another appeal? (check one box only) – skip if capital punishment is banned

□ Yes □ No

20. Do you have any final comments about capital punishment?

Thank you very much for your time. Have a nice day!