After the Furman decision, while executions were halted nationwide, constituents and others contacted Senator Ervin with their opinions about capital punishment. Ms. O'Bryant, a college student, argues that "capital punishment does not seem to be the answer to our crime rate," and that a murderer "needs help and at the same time society needs protection." Ervin responded that he believed that capital punishment should be retained as a deterrent and that, to this end, he supported Senate Bill S.1401.
(Image from Sam Ervin Jr. Papers, #3847, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
