Calling the current system of capital punishment "error-prone, expensive and anything but infallible," Gov. Tom Wolf announced last Friday that a moratorium on executions will be in effect in Pennsylvania one of 32 states with the death penalty at least until he receives results of a legislative study.

The state prosecutors' association reacted quickly, stating that the governor had no authority to impose such a moratorium.The death penalty has been a polarizing topic for generations. Those in favor feel the punishment should fit the crime and point to the "eye for an eye" biblical principle.Opponents argue that the death penalty is discriminatory and disproportionately affects the poor, minorities and members of racial, ethnic and religious communities.Recent studies also show that executing a criminal costs more than life imprisonment. Many states have found it cheaper to sentence criminals to life in prison than to go through the time and all the bureaucracy required to execute a criminal.Polls show that Americans' support for the death penalty has varied widely over the 77 years. Gallup's poll shows 63 percent in favor. According to a Pew Research Center survey, the margin between those who favor the death penalty and those who oppose it has narrowed to an 18-point difference from 1996 to 2013 (55 percent to 37 percent).Similar to the political map, support depends on region. Residents of the East are the least likely to favor the death penalty, while residents of the South and Midwest, who tend to vote Republican, are supportive.Gallup's initial reading in 1936 found 59 percent in favor, but support then dipped well below 50 percent at points during the 1960s, only to surge above 70 percent in the 1980s during the Ronald Reagan years in office.There are differences among religious and ethnic groups. Twice as many white Americans favor the death penalty as oppose it (63 percent to 30 percent) and roughly six in 10 or more white evangelical, white mainline Protestants (64 percent) and white Catholics (59 percent) express support.Those who report personally owning a gun are much more likely to favor the death penalty (80 percent to 55 percent).There are many solid arguments being made on both sides of this charged issue, and the governor must digest it all before making, what we hope, is a nonpolitical decision.By JIM ZBICKtneditor@tnonline.com