Party affiliation and support for capital punishment: An assessment of lawmakers from Canada and the United States |
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Authors: | Christopher E Smith Michael D Reisig Lara Pellegrini |
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Institution: | 1. School of Criminal Justice , Michigan State University , East Lansing, MI, 48824–1118 E-mail: reisig@pilot.msu.edu;2. Michigan State University |
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Abstract: | This article assesses the attitudes supporting capital punishment among lawmakers from two democratic countries — Canada and the United States. Accordingly, data were collected from three different populations responsible for legislating law either permitting or prohibiting the use of capital punishment in their respective jurisdictions — the Canadian House of Commons and the Michigan and Ohio state legislatures. These data were used to assess two general hypotheses: (1) Conservative parties will report higher levels of support for capital punishment; and, (2) Individual members from liberal political parties will report lower levels of support for capital punishment when compared to members of more conservative parties. The research findings supported both hypotheses. |
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