Keywords
Last statements, public opinion, death penalty, factorial survey, capital punishment
Abstract
There has been an increase in writings that address the last statements of condemned offenders. Many of these writings suggest that exposure to the humanity sometimes exhibited in these last statements may steer public opinion against the death penalty. This dissertation tests this suggestion by exposing 400 participants to randomly generated vignettes containing various capital crimes, demographic characteristics, and last statements. The survey data are analyzed utilizing multilevel modeling. Study results include the effects of varying levels of demonstrated humanity in the last statements of condemned offenders on public opinion, and whether specific demographic characteristics appear to influence study participant responses. Findings showed no statistically significant results that indicate any effect on death penalty opinion as a result of reading last statements demonstrating humanity. Condemned inmates who did not provide a statement, or stated they had nothing to say, elicited higher levels of confidence that executing them was the right thing to do. Condemned inmates who claimed innocence in their last statements were associated with the lowest level of respondent confidence that execution was the right thing to do, and a higher level of support for life without parole as an alternative punishment. Recommendations for further research are discussed.
Notes
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Graduation Date
2012
Semester
Spring
Advisor
Wright, James
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
College
College of Sciences
Department
Sociology
Degree Program
Sociology
Format
application/pdf
Identifier
CFE0004338
URL
http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0004338
Language
English
Release Date
May 2012
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Access Status
Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)
Subjects
Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences, Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic;
STARS Citation
Colyer, Timothy P., "Estimating The Effects Of Condemned Inmates' Last Statements On Public Opinion About The Death Penalty: A Factorial Survey Approach" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2112.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/2112