MODERN DEATH QUALIFICATION - NEW DATA ON ITS BIASING EFFECTS

We report on the results of a comprehensive statewide survey of death penalty attitudes in which respondents were categorized in terms of th eir death-qualified or excludable status under several different Supre me Court doctrines governing the death-qualification process. We found that although changes in public opinion with respect to the death pen alty in general have altered the relative sizes of the death-qualified and excludable groups, significant differences remain between them on a number of attitudinal dimensions, no matter which doctrines are emp loyed to define these groups. We discuss the implications of these rec ent data, especially with respect to the Supreme Court's continued ref erence to the death-qualified jury as an index of community standards with respect to the death penalty itself.