conservative values. 51 Mary Kate Carry, a speech writer for George H.W. Bush, linked her new found opposition both to the cost, which she believes would be better spent on a victim’s family, and to the right to life debate, arguing that the innocent life lost cannot be compatible with a pro-life stance. 52 Issues related to the cost of the death penalty are therefore having a direct effect on some conservatives who would traditionally be capital punishment’s most staunch supporters. Overall, these factors demonstrate the highly conditional and fluctuating support for the death penalty and help to explain its declining support and the increased rate of abolition amongst the states. When considering all of these factors it becomes apparent that support for the death penalty is highly conditional upon social, political and cultural factors at any given period of history. The case of Furman v. Georgia demonstrates the direct impact the cultural, racial and financials matter can have on support for capital punishment. However, it is also evident that particularly shocking crimes can lead to a large jump in support for the death penalty something politicians, such as Bill Clinton in the 1992 presidential race, can often use to their own advantage to appear to be tough on crime. This attitude has been undermined in modern times by the financial concerns due to the spiralling cost of the death penalty, demonstrating the conditional nature of support among conservatives who are usually seen as strong supporters of capital punishment. Additionally, the modern debate surrounding the death 51 David Von Drehle, ‘ The Death of the Death Penalty’ . 52 Mary Kate Cary, ‘ The Conservative Case Against the Death Penalty’ , U.S. News and World Report, 2011 <http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2011/03/30/the- conservative-case-against-the-death-penalty> [accessed 24 April 2016].
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