The Death Penalty in Puerto Rico

Despite the high crime rates, opposition to the death penalty in Puerto Rico is strong. Using logit and OLS equations, we investigate the demographic, media, and ideological factors that may influence public opinion on capital punishment. We find that opposition to the death penalty is widespread throughout the different socioeconomic groups in Puerto Rican society. Gender, religion, and status preference are found to be the main influences on support or opposition to capital punishment. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of this research on Federal attempts to impose the death penalty in the island