Crime and Punishment Weekly Polls 2008

Across the United States, budget shortfalls caused by a slowing economy have states looking at proposals to release thousands of convicts from prison to save money.

Would you pay higher taxes to cover the cost of keeping criminals in jail?

1) Yes. Whatever it takes.
2) No. We already pay enough taxes.

See Also:
Budget Cuts May Free Convicts Early

Sharee Miller, 36, was convicted in 2000 of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and second-degree murder for the November 1999 shooting death of her husband, Bruce Miller. Now she is getting married, despite not being eligible for parole until the year 2055.

Should convicted killers be allowed to marry while incarcerated?

1) Yes and permitted conjugal visits.
2) Yes, but not permitted conjugal visits.
2) No, they are in prison to be separated from society.
3) It should be decided based on a convict's behavior.

See Also:
Convicted Killer Sharee Miller to Wed

Within two weeks, three Tampa area teachers have been accused of having sex with their students. Since 2005, at least 10 schoolteachers in Hillsborough and neighboring Florida counties have been arrested on charges of having sex with students, according to Tampa Bay Online.

Are more teachers having sex with students or is the media covering it more?

1) Yes, it's becoming an epidemic.
2) No, it's just being reported more now.
3) Both, it's happening more and being reported.

See Also:
3 Tampa Teachers Arrested in 2 Weeks
Photo Gallery - Women Arrested for Indecent Behavior With Kids

For years rumors have persisted that many other victims may have fallen prey to Charles Manson and his followers in the high desert in California. Now a group of forensic scientists believe they have found evidence of buried remains in the parched ground near one-time Manson hideout Barker Ranch.

Are there more victims of the Manson Family buried at Barker Ranch?

1) Yes, at least one body.
2) Yes, at least three bodies
3) Yes, more than three bodies.
4) No, there are no more bodies.

See Also:
Forensic Scientists Seek Graves of Manson Victims

This week the Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, with his wife by his side, announced he would be leaving political life to focus on healing himself and his family after his involvement with a call-girl became public knowledge.

Is prostitution a victimless crime?

1) Yes. It should be legal.
2) Yes. If the buyer is single.
3) No. It is dangerous and spreads diseases.
4) No. It hurts everyone involved.

The Constitution forbids the use of visible shackles during a capital trial’s penalty phase, as it does during the guilt phase, unless that use is “justified by an essential state interest”—such as courtroom security—specific to the defendant on trial.

Do you think seeing a defendant shackled would influence your vote for the death penalty?

1) Yes. It would make them appear more dangerous.
2) No. I would think of it as normal courtroom security measures.
3) Maybe. It depends on the trial.

Currently, the FBI conducts polygraph tests of all new employees prior to them beginning their service. In addition, individuals with access to certain sensitive programs or cases are polygraphed and the polygraph is used during serious internal inquiries to resolve unexplained anomalies and ambiguities. Many scientist believe that the polygraph equipment is unreliable and ineffective in detecting if someone is lying.

Poll: Do you believe polygraph exams should be used by police during crime investigations?

1) Yes, it will catch most dishonest people.
2) No, the equipment is unreliable.
3) Neither. It all depends on the training of the polygrapher.

Allenna Ward, 24, a former South Carolina teacher will be serving six years in prison after pleading guilty to having sex with five 14 and 15-year-old boys. Allenna Ward, 24, was actually sentenced to 15 years in prison for each lewd act count, but the sentences were suspended to six years.

Poll: Is there a double standard when sentencing male pedophiles compared to female pedophiles?

1) Yes. Female pedophiles almost always receive lighter sentences.
2) No. Male pedophiles also receive light sentences.
3) No. It depends on where the pedophile is prosecuted, not their gender.
4) Yes, unless the female pedophile molests a female child.

See Also:
South Carolina Teacher to Serve 6 Years

This week attorneys for Joseph Edward Duncan III have filed several motions in federal court to delay the death penalty sentencing hearing scheduled for April in connection with the abduction of Dylan and Shasta Groene and the murder of Dylan.

One request for a delay until September was so that an expert witness could have time to develop a "social history" of Duncan which can be presented to the jury.

Poll: Would a confessed killer's "social history" influence your decision in sentencing them to death?

1) No
2) Yes
3) Sometimes

See Also:
Duncan's Attorneys Try to Delay Sentencing

Former policeman Bobby Cutts Jr., accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend, claims that he did not kill Jessie Marie Davis, although he was able to tell investigators where to find her body. His accomplice confessed to helping Cutts dispose of Davis' body. But defense attorneys say there is no evidence linking Cutts to the crime. How do you think the jury will vote - innocent or guilty?

Poll: Will Bobby Cutts Jr. be found innocent or guilty?

1) Guilty. The testimony of his accomplice will prove his guilt.
2) Innocent. There is no evidence linking Cutts to the murder.
3) Undecided. It could go either way.

See Also:
Background: The Murder of Jessie Davis