Those jurors probably would have come out with a different verdict had they known they could lock the murderer up and throw away the key. Most people in this country simply don't trust parole boards to keep killers behind bars. One poll found that only 4 percent of Americans think convicted murderers will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Since 1994, Virginia juries have been told if a defendant would be barred from parole, and juries have responded with fewer death sentences. The same thing happened in Indiana and Georgia after they provided for life without parole in murder cases.
Prosecutors understand the effect.
I don't think you could get a verdict of death if the jury knows it can give life. Life without parole serves all the legitimate purposes of the death penalty without the risk of fatal errors. Most Americans who favor capital punishment may come to prefer the alternative, just as soon as they realize there really is an alternative. Would you like to see them add this columnist to their newspaper. Use this form to find your local paper's email address and recommend this columnist.