. In general, how would you describe your position on the death penalty Are you...
¢ Strongly against
Somewhat against
Strongly in favor of
Somewhat in favor of
Or not sure
. Which of the following punishments do you personally think is MOST appropriate
for persons convicted of first degree murder in Kentucky?
e the death penalty
life in prison with no chance of parole
life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years
life in prison with no chance of parole for 20 years
a sentence of 20 — 50 years with the chance of parole after serving 85% of
the sentence
e Not sure
. A two year study by the American Bar Association Assessment Team comprised
of Kentucky law professors, judges, and other legal scholars, found major
problems in the administration of the death penalty in Kentucky and determined
that the state should suspend executions until those problems were fixed. In light
of these problems, would you support a decision by the governor to halt all
executions until these problems can be addressed?
e Yes
e No
e¢ Not sure
. Which punishment do you think costs taxpayers more, the death penalty or life in
prison without parole?
e The death penalty
e Life in prison without parole
e Not sure
. If it were shown that because of the constitutionally-mandated appeals, and
additional trials and housing costs associated with the death penalty that the
death penalty costs taxpayers substantially more than sentencing prisoners to life
in prison with no possibility of parole, would you support replacing the death
penalty with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole? Please
rate your answer on a scale of 0 to 10 where 10 means you would be extremely
supportive, and zero means you would not be supportive at all. You can choose
any number in between. If you are not sure, please say so.
6.
I'm going to read statements some people have made about the death penalty.
For each one, please rate how much you agree or disagree with that statement
on a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 means you are in total agreement and 0 means
you do not agree at all. You can choose any number in between. If you are not
sure, please say so. Here’s the first one.
e Inthe U. S. at least 150 people have been wrongfully convicted and
sentenced to die for crimes they did not commit. Some innocent people have
even been executed. The death penalty carries too much risk of executing an
innocent person.
e Many people think the death penalty costs less than life without parole, but
that's just not true. Recent studies show that after the constitutionally required
appeals, additional trials and special prison housing are taken into account,
the death penalty costs far more than life without parole, wasting millions of
dollars that could be used to support the victims of crime, or be redirected to
other public safety needs.
e Murderers need to be severely punished but Kentucky's death penalty system
isn't working. Death penalty cases drag on for more than a decade forcing
victims’ families to endure years of uncertainty and waiting. In contrast, a
sentence of life in prison without parole offers swift and certain justice that
allows victims to move on with the healing process as soon as the trial is
over.
In Kentucky, approximately 1 in 3 homicides go unsolved every year. Would you
support or oppose replacing the death penalty with life in prison without parole if
the resources currently used on the death penalty could be redirected to help
police and prosecutors solve more rapes and murders and keep our families
safe?
e¢ IF SUPPORT ASK:]
Is that strongly support or somewhat support
¢ IF OPPOSE ASK:
Is that somewhat oppose or strongly oppose
¢ Don’t Know or Refused
If your state Representative or Senator voted to repeal the death penalty in
Kentucky and replace it with life in prison without the possibility of parole, would
that make you
¢ more likely to vote for him or her
e less likely to vote for him or her
¢ would not make a difference in voting for him or her
