Exploring sources of public attitudes toward capital punishment in Taiwan

Abstract

Capital punishment policy deserves a more prominent place in the analysis of the politics of Taiwan. While Taiwan’s political culture is on a par with the mainstream of the world’s democratic politics, its public opinion on capital crime policy is under-researched. This study begins with an historical review of capital punishment in Taiwan. After that, we turn to an in-depth analysis of data from a random survey in Taipei and New Taipei, focusing on the government’s retentionist policy rather than an exploration of general attitudes toward the death penalty. Results indicate that support for death penalty policy and for the Ministry of Justice’s execution policy stems mainly from instrumental sources: Belief in the deterrent effect of capital sentences and faith in a “tough on crime” approach as a generic cure for crime. In contrast, those who believe in the efficacy of rehabilitation tend to oppose capital punishment policy. Unexpectedly, experience with crime victimization and perception of high crime levels in one’s residential neighborhood reduce support for capital punishment policy. We end our analysis with a call to political leaders to exercise enlightened leadership on the death sentence policy.