Argument vs death penalty: 50% of Filipinos believe criminals can be reformed
The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa (File photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Half of adult Filipinos surveyed agree that a heinous criminal having a chance for reformation is a valid argument against the reimposition of death penalty.
In the Social Weather Stations (SWS) first quarter survey first published in BusinessWorld, 50 percent of 1,200 adult Filipinos surveyed agreed with this statement: “The possibility that a person who committed a heinous crime can still change and be a good citizen is a good reason not to reimpose the death penalty (Ang posibilidad na magbagong buhay at maging isang mabuting mamamayan ang isang taong nakagawa ng karumal-dumal na krimen ay magandang dahilan para hindi ibalik ang parusang kamatayan o death penalty).”
Meanwhile, 27 percent of those surveyed disagreed with the statement, while 23 percent were undecided.
The net agreement score on the question is moderate at +24.
Meanwhile, four of 10 Filipinos, or 41 percent, of those surveyed agree with the statement that only the poor and not the rich would be meted with the death penalty: “Only the poor and not the rich will usually be meted the death penalty (Ang mga mahihirap lamang at hindi mayayaman ang karaniwang mapapatawan ng parusang kamatayan o death penalty).”
Of those surveyed, 37 percent disagreed with the statement, while 22 percent were undecided – for a neutral net agreement score of +4.
Three of 10 Filipinos, or 37 percent, of those surveyed agree that the possibility an innocent person could be sentenced to death is a valid argument against the death penalty reimposition: “The possibility that an innocent person can be sentenced to death or be meted the death penalty is a good reason not to reimpose this law (Ang posibilidad na mahatulan ang isang inosenteng tao ng parusang kamatayan o death penalty ay magandang dahilan para hindi ibalik ang batas na ito).”
Of those surveyed, 38 percent disagree with that statement, while 25 percent were undecided, for a neutral agreement score of zero.
The non-commissioned survey was conducted from March 25 to 28, 2017 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide – 300 each in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
The survey has a sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, and ±6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
The SWS released the report following its first survey, which was conducted March 25 to 28, showing that three out of five Filipinos favor the reimposition of death penalty for drug-related crimes.
The survey found that 61 percent of respondents “strongly or somewhat approve” of the proposal to revive capital punishment in the country, while 23 percent “somewhat or strongly disapprove.”
The latest figures yielded a “good” +38 net approval of the proposed legislation.
The bill reviving the capital punishment but limited to drug-related offenses was passed in the House of Representatives. But a similar bill faces rough sailing in the Senate where 13 of 24 senators were reportedly against it.
President Rodrigo Duterte won the elections in a campaign to restore death penalty, especially for criminals in drug-related cases. /atm
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