Woodson v. North Carolina

• Trop v. Dulles, 356 U.S. 86 (1958).
• Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).
• Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976).
• Proffitt v. Florida, 428 U.S. 242 (1976).
• Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262 (1976).
• Roberts v. Louisiana, 431 U.S. 633 (1977).
• Lockett v. Ohio, 438 U.S. 586 (1978).
• Bell v. Ohio, 438 U.S. 637 (1978).
• Butler v. South Carolina, 459 U.S. 932 (1982).
• Boyd v. North Carolina, 471 U.S. 1030 (1985).
• Darden v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 168 (1986).

According to Gallup polls taken periodically during the years between 1953 and 1995, the percentage of Americans favoring the death penalty for persons convicted of murder was at its lowest in 1966 (42 percent), and its highest in 1994 (80 percent).

The College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University found that in 1996, more than 73 percent of Americans favored the death penalty. Of males, almost 82 percent answered in the affirmative when asked "Are you in favor of the death penalty for persons convicted of murder?"; of females, 65.6 percent.

Several interesting facts emerged from the Sam Houston State materials. The percentage in favor was more or less constant among age groups, varying from 70.4 percent for 18-to-24-year-olds to 77 percent for 40-to-59-year-olds. The lowest education bracket, those who had not finished high school, was as likely to answer in the affirmative as the highest, college graduates. Both were at 67.2 percent, with the highest percentage (80.5 percent) for people who had graduated high school but not attended college. The study, which divided respondents into demographic groups on a variety of lines, revealed that the lowest group support for the death penalty came from African Americans, of whom only 58.6 were in favor.

Sources

Bureau of Justice Statistics Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics--1996 Washington, DC: U.S. Government, 1997.