Two Americas: Capital Punishment Views among Canadian and U.S. College Students

Eric G. Lambert, David N. Baker, Kasey A. Tucker

The University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, USA

Abstract:

Canada and the United States have often been compared because of the perceived notion that they are very similar. Further, the effectiveness and application of crime control policies in general, and the use of capital punishment in particular, have received a great deal of attention and garnered much debate in the past decade. This study explores the views of Canadian and U.S. college students toward capital punishment. Overall, the predictors for level of death penalty support were similar for the two groups; however, U.S respondents were much more likely to support capital punishment. Additionally, Canadian respondents were significantly less likely to support the death penalty for the reasons of retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and the instrumental perspective (i.e., law and order), while U.S. respondents were less likely to oppose capital punishment for the reasons of morality, the brutalization effect, or the risk of executing an innocent person.

Keyword:

Capital Punishment; Canada; USA; College students; Attitudes; Perceptions