Comments on: Death Penalty Laws Around the World http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/ Strength in Numbers Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:35:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: AJJJ http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-30834 AJJJ Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:10:01 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-30834 this is very sad! this is very sad!

]]> By: Manuarte http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29983 Manuarte Thu, 21 May 2009 22:09:46 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29983 A terrible map (the GOOD one). Only such a misleading projection could lead Flowing Data to look at a map that shows the US, large swaths of Africa, the Middle East, south Asia, east Asia, and Indonesia as all having the death penalty and conclude that "most countries have either abolished the death penalty or only use it in exceptional cases." A terrible map (the GOOD one). Only such a misleading projection could lead Flowing Data to look at a map that shows the US, large swaths of Africa, the Middle East, south Asia, east Asia, and Indonesia as all having the death penalty and conclude that “most countries have either abolished the death penalty or only use it in exceptional cases.”

]]> By: Newsfilter » Το Top 5 της εβδομάδας (11 Μαΐου - 16 Μαΐου 2009) http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29820 Newsfilter » Το Top 5 της εβδομάδας (11 Μαΐου - 16 Μαΐου 2009) Sun, 17 May 2009 12:31:14 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29820 [...] Θανατική ποινή - Που υπάρχει ακόμα;: Δείτε σε αυτόν τον πολύ ωραίο χάρτη σε ποιες περιοχές [...] [...] Θανατική ποινή – Που υπάρχει ακόμα;: Δείτε σε αυτόν τον πολύ ωραίο χάρτη σε ποιες περιοχές [...]

]]> By: Dudley Sharp http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29790 Dudley Sharp Sat, 16 May 2009 23:25:38 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29790 104 countries have the death penalty, 93 don't Even in Western Europe, that collection of governments most opposed to capital punishment, their citizens actually do support the death penalty. from the French daily Le Monde, December 2006 (1): Percentage of respondents in favor of executing Saddam Hussein: France: 58% Germany: 53% Spain: 51% Italy: 46% same poll Great Britain: 69% USA: 82% We are led to believe there isn't death penalty support in England or Europe. European governments won't allow executions when their populations support it: they're anti democratic. (2) Death penalty support is much deeper and much wider than we are often led to believe, with significant percentages of those who say they, generally, oppose the death penalty, actually supporting it when it is a true death eligible crime. (1) The recent results of a poll conducted by Novatris/Harris for the French daily Le Monde on the death penalty shocked the editors and writers at Germany's left-leaning SPIEGEL ONLINE (Dec. 22, 2006). When asked whether they favored the death penalty for Saddam Hussein, a majority of respondents in Germany, France and Spain responded in the affirmative. (2)An excellent article, “Death in Venice: Europe’s Death-penalty Elitism", details this anti democratic position (The New Republic, by Joshua Micah Marshall, 7/31/2000). Another situation reflects this same mentality. "(Pres. Mandela says 'no' to reinstating the death penalty in South Africa - Nelson Mandela against death penalty though 93% of public favors it, according to poll. "(JET, 10/14/96). Pres. Mandela explained that ". . . it was necessary to inform the people about other strategies the government was using to combat crime." As if the people didn't understand. South Africa has had some of the highest crime rates in the world in the ten years, since Mandela's comments. "The number of murders committed each year in the country is as high as 47,000, according to Interpol statistics." As of 2006, 72% of South Africans want the death penalty back. ("South Africans Support Death Penalty", 5/14/2006, Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research NOTE: Some recent polls - with no mention of specific crimes. 97%+ of Guatemalans support the death penalty. 2.6% oppose (telephone survey, newspaper Prensa Libre, 2/14/08) www(dot)latinamericapress.org/article.asp?lanCode=1&artCode=5545 79% support the resumption of hanging in Jamaica. 16% oppose. (Bill Johnson Polling for The Gleaner (Jamaica) Newspaper, 1/12-13/08 Two-thirds of Czechs for death penalty reintroduction - poll Prague- Almost two-thirds of Czechs believe that death penalty should exist in the Czech Republic, while one-third believes the opposite, according to a poll the CVVM agency conducted in May and released. June 12, 2008, Ceskenoviny.cz/news/ 104 countries have the death penalty, 93 don’t

Even in Western Europe, that collection of governments most opposed to capital punishment, their citizens actually do support the death penalty.

from the French daily Le Monde, December 2006 (1):

Percentage of respondents in favor of executing Saddam Hussein:

France: 58%
Germany: 53%
Spain: 51%
Italy: 46%

same poll

Great Britain: 69%
USA: 82%

We are led to believe there isn’t death penalty support in England or Europe. European governments won’t allow executions when their populations support it: they’re anti democratic. (2)

Death penalty support is much deeper and much wider than we are often led to believe, with significant percentages of those who say they, generally, oppose the death penalty, actually supporting it when it is a true death eligible crime.

(1) The recent results of a poll conducted by Novatris/Harris for the French daily Le Monde on the death penalty shocked the editors and writers at Germany’s left-leaning SPIEGEL ONLINE (Dec. 22, 2006). When asked whether they favored the death penalty for Saddam Hussein, a majority of respondents in Germany, France and Spain responded in the affirmative.

(2)An excellent article, “Death in Venice: Europe’s Death-penalty Elitism”, details this anti democratic position (The New Republic, by Joshua Micah Marshall, 7/31/2000). Another situation reflects this same mentality. “(Pres. Mandela says ‘no’ to reinstating the death penalty in South Africa – Nelson Mandela against death penalty though 93% of public favors it, according to poll. “(JET, 10/14/96). Pres. Mandela explained that “. . . it was necessary to inform the people about other strategies the government was using to combat crime.” As if the people didn’t understand. South Africa has had some of the highest crime rates in the world in the ten years, since Mandela’s comments. “The number of murders committed each year in the country is as high as 47,000, according to Interpol statistics.” As of 2006, 72% of South Africans want the death penalty back. (“South Africans Support Death Penalty”, 5/14/2006, Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research

NOTE: Some recent polls – with no mention of specific crimes.

97%+ of Guatemalans support the death penalty. 2.6% oppose
(telephone survey, newspaper Prensa Libre, 2/14/08)
www(dot)latinamericapress.org/article.asp?lanCode=1&artCode=5545

79% support the resumption of hanging in Jamaica. 16% oppose. (Bill Johnson Polling for The Gleaner (Jamaica) Newspaper, 1/12-13/08

Two-thirds of Czechs for death penalty reintroduction – poll
Prague- Almost two-thirds of Czechs believe that death penalty should exist in the Czech Republic, while one-third believes the opposite, according to a poll the CVVM agency conducted in May and released. June 12, 2008, Ceskenoviny.cz/news/

]]> By: Matt http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29728 Matt Sat, 16 May 2009 04:00:16 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29728 another vote for wiki's map. I like the more objective nature of the coloring also. another vote for wiki’s map. I like the more objective nature of the coloring also.

]]> By: Jaren L http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29725 Jaren L Sat, 16 May 2009 02:08:58 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29725 The ideological bias in the GOOD graphic annoys me - colors with some level of ban, but for countries that still use the penalty a foreboding *black.* Like holes in the map of *truly* civilized society. Incidentally, I'm against the death penalty. But I don't need an infographic *telling* me what my opinion on the matter is. The ideological bias in the GOOD graphic annoys me – colors with some level of ban, but for countries that still use the penalty a foreboding *black.* Like holes in the map of *truly* civilized society.

Incidentally, I’m against the death penalty. But I don’t need an infographic *telling* me what my opinion on the matter is.

]]> By: Michael Pierce http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29690 Michael Pierce Fri, 15 May 2009 19:13:49 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29690 I also prefer the Wikipedia map because the countries remain identifiable. I also think that another representation would be useful. I don't see much correlation between land mass and number of people potentially subject to the death penalty. India and China have much larger populations than the great northern reaches of Canada, for example, although the land mass is roughly similar. I also prefer the Wikipedia map because the countries remain identifiable. I also think that another representation would be useful. I don’t see much correlation between land mass and number of people potentially subject to the death penalty. India and China have much larger populations than the great northern reaches of Canada, for example, although the land mass is roughly similar.

]]> By: Jacem Yorob http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29687 Jacem Yorob Fri, 15 May 2009 18:07:50 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29687 For pure communication of information, I like the wikipedia one. But for a magazine infographic meant to grab attention and provoke interest, the good magazine graphic has it's merits. I don't understand why they choose that color code though: black is common death penalty, green is occasional death penalty, and blue is abolished? Weird choices. On a purely random note, I like how the wikipedia entry's full svg version is slowly rendered in firefox, with the individual countries popping up and forming the worldmap: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Death_Penalty_World_Map.svg For pure communication of information, I like the wikipedia one. But for a magazine infographic meant to grab attention and provoke interest, the good magazine graphic has it’s merits. I don’t understand why they choose that color code though: black is common death penalty, green is occasional death penalty, and blue is abolished? Weird choices.

On a purely random note, I like how the wikipedia entry’s full svg version is slowly rendered in firefox, with the individual countries popping up and forming the worldmap: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wi.....ld_Map.svg

]]> By: Richard W. http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29678 Richard W. Fri, 15 May 2009 16:43:32 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29678 The 'GOOD' colour scheme is very counterintuitive - with my first glance at the map I learned nothing, then using my prior knowledge I was able to deduce what a black and blue probably meant, then I had to click through to read the legend before I could be sure. If you're going to come up with intermediate categories then I'd like some sort of intuitive gradation such as green (likely to live) through to red (likely to die). The ‘GOOD’ colour scheme is very counterintuitive – with my first glance at the map I learned nothing, then using my prior knowledge I was able to deduce what a black and blue probably meant, then I had to click through to read the legend before I could be sure. If you’re going to come up with intermediate categories then I’d like some sort of intuitive gradation such as green (likely to live) through to red (likely to die).

]]> By: E. Jean http://flowingdata.com/2009/05/15/death-penalty-laws-around-the-world/#comment-29670 E. Jean Fri, 15 May 2009 14:59:07 +0000 http://flowingdata.com/?p=1560#comment-29670 Of course, the Wikipedia map is missing pretty basic design elements like, oh, source information and a legend. But I guess that's the Wikipedia way? It seems like most of their maps look a lot like this with explanatory text on a separate page. Too bad, though; it's confusing. I do prefer the Wikipedia projection and color scheme, though. My first thought about the chain-link fence effect was that it was some sort of histogram map, but it's actually just simply confusing. And that color scheme...oof. Of course, the Wikipedia map is missing pretty basic design elements like, oh, source information and a legend. But I guess that’s the Wikipedia way? It seems like most of their maps look a lot like this with explanatory text on a separate page. Too bad, though; it’s confusing.

I do prefer the Wikipedia projection and color scheme, though. My first thought about the chain-link fence effect was that it was some sort of histogram map, but it’s actually just simply confusing. And that color scheme…oof.

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