The death penalty in the XXI century: the results of public opinion research in the Czech Republic The death penalty in the XXI century: the results of public opinion research in the Czech Republic The death penalty in the XXI century: the results of public opinion research in the Czech Republic The death penalty in the XXI century: T
Abstract
The paper presents results of research on the death penalty conducted by the author in the framework of the research project " Public opinion about crime murder " (2010), implemented with the support of the Grant Agency of Charles University (project no. 26610). The death penalty is one of the most controversial penalties, which is permanently devoted attention, especially in the context of discussions about the possible reintroduction of the death penalty and also with some publicized cases.
In the Czech Republic (former Czechoslovakia) the death penalty was abolished by the reform of criminal law in 1990 and replaced with life imprisonment. In 1991 the death penalty was banned at the constitutional level.
The methodology consisted of a quantitative research having a form of questionnaire survey. Respondents were selected in a way of quota sampling.
Opinions of the respondents on the death penalty were detected by finding their relationship to the following statements: "Abolition of the death penalty is right"; "I would impose the death penalty for commiting murder"; "The murderers should be treated according to the principle 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.'" Czech society rather agrees with the death penalty, and its supporters are the most elderly persons, and its opponents - respondents with university education. But the public is not as repressive, if it had actually imposed the death penalty.
Although more than two-thirds of the public agrees with the death penalty and with the principle of "an eye for an eye , a tooth for a tooth", only less than half of the public would definitely impose it. It is presumed that the Czech society, rather, wants to see the death penalty as a deterrent and preventive sanction, rather than strengthen the practice of its execution.