According to a new Gallup poll, the number of Americans who support the death penalty is at its lowest level since 1972. Despite the level of support for capital punishment being at a 40-year low, currently, 60 percent still say they are in favor of convicted murderers receiving the death penalty. The researchers from Gallup say that part of the decline in the support could be the result of moratoriums put on capital punishment, after there have been a number of publicized cases in which several inmates on death row were proven to be innocent and exonerated because of DNA evidence. Currently, there are 18 states, which do not allow capital punishment. The study also found how death penalty support breaks down across political party lines: it’s supported by 81 percent of Republicans, 47 percent of Democrats and 60 percent of Independents …
