SLU/YouGov Analysis: Death Penalty
SLU鈥檚 Kaitlin Klasen provides an analysis of the latest SLU/YouGov Poll results as they pertain to the death penalty.
In 2023, Missouri was one of only five states to carry out the death penalty. Four people were executed, and 18 prisoners were on death row. Bills seeking to abolish the death penalty have made their way into the Missouri State Legislature over the years and, despite receiving support from both sides of the aisle, have failed to pass.
Nonetheless, the effort of several legislators to abolish the death penalty continues. State Rep. Chad Perkins, a Republican from Bowling Green, and State Sen. Karla May, a Democrat from St. Louis, have respectively proposed bills, and , which specify that any person sentenced to death must instead be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. Many Republican lawmakers like Perkins see . State Sen. Richard Brown, a Kansas City Democrat, said that .
Meanwhile, State Sen. Mike Moon, a Republican from Ash Grove, introduced a bill to expand the death penalty, . This bill seeks to expand death penalty eligibility from only first degree-murder to also include cases of first-degree statutory rape and first-degree sex trafficking of a child.
In February 2024, the SLU/YouGov poll asked likely Missouri voters whether they favored death penalty sentences in cases of first-degree murder in the state. Of those responding, 62% indicated they favored the death penalty, and 24% opposed it.
When broken down by political party, Republicans were more supportive of the death penalty in cases of first-degree murder than Democrats or Independents. Of Republican voters, 86% favored the death penalty compared to 37% of Democrats and 58% of Independents.
Additionally, respondents in the state鈥檚 urban regions, St. Louis and Kansas City, viewed the death penalty less favorably than respondents in more rural areas. In the state's two largest urban areas, 53% and 56% of respondents favored the death penalty in St. Louis and Kansas City, respectively. In contrast, over 65% of respondents from the other parts of Missouri favored the death penalty.
Possibility of Governor鈥檚 Clemency for Death Row Prisoners
While legislative disputes over the death penalty continue, two executions have already been scheduled for 2024. Brian Dorsey, convicted of the 2006 murder of his cousin and her husband in central Missouri, is scheduled to be executed on April 1. David R. Hosier is scheduled to be executed on June 11 for killing a Jefferson City woman in 2009. Dorsey and Hosier could be taken off death row and given life in prison without parole if granted clemency by Gov. Mike Parson. In Dorsey鈥檚 case, , urging the governor to grant him clemency as Dorsey has been a model inmate whom they believe does not deserve the death penalty. Parson has not granted clemency.
When asked by the SLU/YouGov Poll, 52% of likely Missouri voters said they favored the governor being allowed to change death penalty sentences to life in prison without parole compared to 30% who opposed that option. The SLU/YouGov Poll also found that Missourians with higher levels of education demonstrated more support for the governor鈥檚 power to change death penalty sentences than those with lower levels of education. Sixty-six percent of respondents with post-graduate degrees were in favor compared to 44% with a high school diploma or less.
Death Penalty Convictions in Cases of Hung Juries
Missouri and Indiana are the only states with a policy allowing judges to determine capital sentencing in cases where the jury deadlocks, meaning the jury cannot come to a unanimous verdict. In the last three executions in Missouri, the judge handed down the death sentences, not the jury. Furthermore, a death sentence has not been unanimously recommended by a jury in Missouri since 2013. Legislation like , introduced by Republican Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, and , proposed by Democratic Rep. Ian Mackey, seek to repeal judges鈥� ability to declare the death penalty but would not altogether abolish the death penalty.
When asked by the SLU/YouGov Poll whether they favored or opposed the judge deciding whether to sentence the death penalty or life in prison without parole when a jury cannot unanimously agree to sentence the death penalty, 48% of likely Missouri voters were in favor and 35% opposed. Like opinions about the death penalty itself, this measure was more favored by Republicans than Democrats. About half the number of Democrats (33%) favored juries sentencing the death penalty in cases of hung jury than Republicans (67%). Likewise, the number of opposing Democrats (48%) was over double that of Republicans who opposed the policy (21%).
This analysis is based on data from the February 2024 SLU/YouGov poll and reflects the opinion of the author.