tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post428310922511046724..comments2024-02-28T05:56:28.293-08:00Comments on California Correctional Crisis: More Death Penalty News: Robert Justice Comes to the RescueHadar Aviramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200780666976305749noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8107037609455779557.post-75326102609665639432014-08-28T05:56:53.129-07:002014-08-28T05:56:53.129-07:00As regards French public opinion, it's true th...As regards French public opinion, it's true that there was in 1981 a clear support of capital punishment, still it didn't seem to be a core issue for most voters, given that Mitterand won the presidency. He clearly stated during a famous Tv debate that he would repel the death penalty if he was elected. Interestingly, a survey in 1969 showed a majority opposed capital punishment . At that time, most would have thought that the guillotine would soon be a relic of the past. <br /><br />Sadly, several high profile criminal cases later happened and it shocked the citizens into favoring death penalty again. Especially the Buffet/Bontemps case (an escape attempts by two inmates, that led to the deaths of one correctional officer and a female nurse). The particular context of the 70s (leftwing terrorism, scores of bank robberies, etc) also drove a high concern about crimes and a public support of "tough on crime" attitude. A famous TV anchor then said "La France a peur". Everybody recalls his words, eventhough the last part of his sentence has been forgotten despite its relevancy: fear is not a good advisor.<br /><br /><br />Presidents Pompidou and Giscard were known to be personnaly opposed to capital punishment, but they felt compelled not to use their presidential right to commute death sentences. That's why France has the dubious privilege of being the last western european country where an execution took place. Abolition of capital punishment is now considered a major achievement of Mitterand, nonetheless there's something curious with the man and not a well known fact: as a Justice Minister during the Algerian war, he actively carried out quite a number of death sentences against Algerian terrorists, many more than both Pompidou and Giscard. He never explained his personnal evolution toward abolitionismSwitznoreply@blogger.com