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1962 Document(s) 653 Member(s) 640 Article(s) 12 Page(s)

Member(s)

Comisión Cubana de Derechos Humanos y Reconciliación Nacional

on 30 April 2020

Mandate and Objectives: Promotion and protection of all HR for all. Programme for the abolition of the death penalty. Training programs. Free legal aid services. Preparation of monthly and special reports. Request for precautionary measures to international organizations. Type of actions: Legal defense. Education and outreach in the field of Hman Rights and Humanitarian aid […]

2020

Cuba

Member(s)

Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva (KMMK-G)

on 30 April 2020

Kurdistan Human Rights Association-Geneva (KMMK-G) is an independent organization, with no political affiliation. KMMK-G was established in 2006 to serve as a bridge between the Kurdish civil society and the United Nations (UN) agencies and International institutions on the one hand, and the Kurdish and Iranian civil society on the other hand. The organization aims […]

Iran (Islamic Republic of)

Member(s)

Think Centre

on 30 April 2020

Think Centre aims to critically examine issues related to political development, democracy, rule of law, human rights and civil society. They conduct research, campaigns on public awareness. They issue urgent appeals and work by networking and reporting to the UN Human Rights bodies.

Singapore

Member(s)

Observatoire Marocain des Prisons

on 30 April 2020

L’Observatoire marocain des prisons (OMP) is an independent non-governmental organisation created by human rights activists to protect and promote the rights of prisoners. It monitors prison conditions in Morocco, provides legal assistance to prisoners and runs a research, information and advocacy centre for more humane prisons. The OMP considers that the dignity and physical and […]

Morocco

Member(s)

Puerto Rican Coalition Against Death Penalty

on 30 April 2020

The Puerto Rican Coalition against the Death Penalty (PCADP) is a non-party, non-sectarian organisation incorporated in Puerto Rico in March 2005 to promote the elimination of the capital punishment.The PCADP aims to join efforts among the different abolitionist organisations and activists in Puerto Rico. Its Statement of Principles emphasises that it does not believe in […]

Puerto Rico

Member(s)

Organisation Marocaine des Droits Humains

on 30 April 2020

The Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights (OMDH) aims to diffuse and deepen the awareness of individual and collective human rights in socio-economic, cultural, civil and political matters. Working with other Moroccan, Arabic, African and international organisations, it organises conferences, debates, research, investigations and exhibitions as well as a video competition on human rights. The OMDH […]

Morocco

Member(s)

REJADD-Togo

on 30 April 2020

The Young African Group for Democracy and Development, Togo-chapter (REJADD-Togo) is an organization promoting and protecting human rights and humanitarian actions. It was officially created on August 11, 2006 and currently has an official chapter in Mali. The REJADD-Togo aims to contribute to the sustainable, integral and harmonious development of Africa in general and Togo […]

Togo

Member(s)

Conférence Internationale des Barreaux

on 30 April 2020

The International Bar Association Conference (Conférence internationale des barreaux – CIB) was founded by representatives of 24 bar associations of countries that share both the French language and a common judicial tradition. It is now composed of 83 members. The CIB’s objective is to create a cooperation structure between them. It groups together associations that […]

France

Member(s)

REPRODEVH-Niger

on 30 April 2020

Created in 2011 by young people and structures concerned with defending human rights, the Progress and Humanitarian Development Network of Niger is a collective of NGOs/ADs whose aim is to defend democracy and good governance, through the promotion of health, education, human dignity for all, the fight against the death penalty, torture and all related […]

Niger

Member(s)

Coordination Eveil et cause pour l’Unité nationale et la lutte contre l’esclavage

on 30 April 2020

The Coordination Eveil et cause pour l’Unité nationale et la lutte contre l’eclavage is a non-governmental organization focused on the fight against slavery and its aftereffects. Created on 22 February 2012, it promotes a culture of Human rights and strenghten the national unity and and the bonds of love and brotherhood between every part of  […]

Mauritania

Member(s)

Leaders Organization

on 30 April 2020

Leaders Organization is a Palestinian youth led non-governmental organization that was established in 2002.The Organization prides itself in its principles and unique approach to development in the Palestinian territories. At the time, it was established to allow youths to participate in serving their society. Since then, Leaders have established a reputation for working with, serving, […]

State of Palestine

Member(s)

Bayt Al Hikma

on 30 April 2020

Bayt Al Hikma is a non-governmental organization founded in 2007 whose main objective is to promote the values ​​of human rights and individual freedoms. Our activities revolve around two themes 1. Values ​​and individual freedoms 2. The promotion and protection of children. Our action plan is as follows: • Annual Report: Prepare an annual report […]

Morocco

Member(s)

International Organization for Diplomatic Relations

on 30 April 2020

The International Organization for Diplomatic Relations (IODR), also known as “Correspondants Diplomatiques” intends to promote alliance and cultural cooperation through the exchange of documents, the organization of conferences, concerts, and events of various kinds, and publications. It promotes solidarity between people and individuals and the full realization of the basic rights of man, as inspired […]

Malta

Member(s)

Adaleh Center for Human Rights Studies

on 30 April 2020

The Adaleh Center for Human Rights Studies is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded on September 2003 and based in Amman, Jordan. Its mission is to enforce human rights values in Jordan and the Arab world, through building the capacity of non-governmental organizations and practitioners working in the field of human rights, democracy and justice. The […]

Jordan

German Coalition logo

Member(s)

German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty

on 30 April 2020

The Initiative gegen die Todesstrafe e.V. (German Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty – GCADP) was founded in 1997 and is a non-profit organization since 2000. Our association is committed to the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. Our work is based on the contents of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 as […]

Germany

Member(s)

ROTAB

on 30 April 2020

The Organisation for Transparency and Budgetary Analysis (ROTAB – Publish What You Pay Niger) is a group of several associations, NGOs and unions in Niger who decided to take part in the worldwide campaign Publish What You Pay. This initiative calls for transparency in the extraction industry, at a time when the murky nature of […]

Niger

Member(s)

Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Puerto Rico

on 30 April 2020

The Puerto Rico Bar Association (Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Puerto Rico) represents all the attorneys in Puerto Rico, and has historically taken a very active role in the public debate. Since 2006 the Bar Association has been part of the World Coalition under the umbrella of the Puertorican Coalition Against the Death Penalty, […]

Puerto Rico

Member(s)

Lawyers For Human Rights International (LFHRI)

on 30 April 2020

In the early eighties, a group of lawyers committed to human rights work formed a loose group in order to defend the victims of state repression. In 1992, when the Punjab police and the security agencies who were operating in Punjab started a campaign to harass and kill human rights defenders and the group started […]

India

Member(s)

Ligue Ivoirienne des Droits de l’Homme

on 30 April 2020

The Ligue ivoirienne des droits de l’Homme [Ivory Coast Human Rights League, LIDHO] is politically and religiously independent. Its main aim is to work towards creating a state of law in Ivory Coast. To achieve that objective, it works in particular towards strengthening the legal system and ensuring an independent justice system and fair and […]

Côte d'Ivoire

Member(s)

Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS)

on 30 April 2020

Human Rights and Democracy Media Center “SHAMS” is a Palestinian non-governmental non-profit organization, established in 2003 in Ramallah by a group of academicians, educated, advocates and human rights activists .“SHAMS” Center holds Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations “SHAMS” Center believes that dissemination and generalization of human […]

State of Palestine

Document(s)

Korean : 연례사형현황 보고서 2011 사형선고와 사형집행

By Amnesty International / 국제앰네스티는, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

enenfafrzh-hantes
More details See the document

2011년 세계 사형현황은 전세계적인 사형폐지 움직임을 잘 나타내주고 있다. 사형을 적용하는 국가의 수는 예년에 비해 더 줄어들었으며 세계 모든 지역에서 사형폐지를 향한 움직임이 있었다.미국은 G8 국가들 중 유일하게 사형을 집행했지만 일리노이 주(州)가 16번째 사형폐지주가 되었고 오레곤 주지사가 사형집행모라토리엄을 선포하는 등 일정 부분에서 발전이 있었다.

Document(s)

Urdu : جسٹس پراجیکٹ پاکستان کا ڈیٹا بیس

By Justice Project Pakistan, on 8 September 2020


Multimedia content

Pakistan

en
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سٹس پراجیکٹ پاکستان نے سزائے موت کے قیدیوں کے لیے کام کے دوران پھانسیوں اور سزائے موت سے متعلق مواد اکٹھا کیا ہے۔ HURIDOCS کے تکنیکی تعاون سے جسٹس پراجیکٹ پاکستان نے اپنی تحقیق کو ایک اوپن سورس ڈیٹا بیس کی شکل دی ہے۔ یہ منصوبہ سزائے موت سے متعلق اعدادوشمار تک عام رسائی فراہم کرنے کی پہلی کڑی ہے، جس کا مقصد محققین، صحافیوں، وکلاء ، طلبہ، انسانی حقوق کے کارکنان اور عام لوگوں کو اس غیر انسانی اور غیر منصفانہ سزا سے متعلق مستند اعدادوشمار مہیا کرنا ہے۔ یہ ڈیٹا بیس نہ صرف جسٹس پراجیکٹ پاکستان کے اعدادوشمار تک رسائی فراہم کرتا ہے، بلکہ عام افراد کو اس میں مزید مواد کی شمولیت کی دعوت بھی دیتا ہے۔

Document(s)

Thai : สถานการณ์โทษประหาร และการประหารชีวิต ในปี 2554

By Amnesty International / ประเทศนิรโทษกรรม, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

enenfafrzh-hantes
More details See the document

รายงานข้อมูลการใช้โทษประหารชีวิตในปี 2554 เป็นเครื่องยืนยันว่าทั่วโลกมีแนวโน้มที่มุ่งสู่การยกเลิกโทษประหาร จำ� นวนประเทศที่มีการประหารชีวิตลดลงจากปีที่ผ่านมา และในภาพรวมมีความก้าวหน้าเกิดขึ้นในทุกภูมิภาคของโลก สหรัฐอเมริกาเป็นเพียงประเทศเดียวในกลุ่มประเทศอุตสาหกรรม G8ที่ยังมีการประหารชีวิตอยู่ มลรัฐอิลลินอยส์เป็นรัฐที่ 16 ซึ่งยกเลิกโทษประหารและในเดือนพฤศจิกายน จอห์น คิตซ์ฮาร์เบอร์ (John Kitzhaber) ผู้ว่าการมลรัฐโอเรกอนประกาศยุติการใช้โทษประหารชั่วคราว

Document(s)

Korean : Death Penalty: Another Murder

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


Academic report

Republic of Korea


More details See the document

For 15 years there have been no executions in South Korea. The film focuses mainly on South Korea through the stories of those directly affected by the death penalty and others outside the country who argue the case for abolition from the perspective of victims’ families, Renny Cushing, Murder Victims Families for Human Rights. It includes testimony from those sentenced to death, a prison warden, the former President of South Korea, Kim Dae Jung, a former prisoner of conscience who was himself sentenced to death and who introduced a moratorium during his presidency. No executions have taken place in South Korea since former President Kim Dae Jung announced his decision. In September South Korea celebrated 5,000 days with no executions.

  • Document type Academic report
  • Countries list Republic of Korea
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Portuguese : Homofobia do Estado: Uma pesquisa mundial sobre legislações que criminalizam relações sexuais consensuais entre adultos do mesmo sexo

By Lucas Paoli Itaborahy / International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), on 8 September 2020


NGO report


More details See the document

Este relatório anual é caracterizado por contrastes – algumas vitórias a serem celebradas contra um conjunto de leis odiosas ainda em vigência e contra os crimes de ódio ao redor do mundo.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Minorities, Homosexuality, Most Serious Crimes,

Document(s)

Indonesian : Kaedilan ang Cacat. Peradilan Yang Tidak Adil Dan Hukuman Mati di Indonesia

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Indonesia

enfr
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Meskipun protes keras dari Organisasi lokal dan hak asasi manusia internasional , pemerintah Indonesia baru di bawah Presiden Joko Widodo telah dieksekusi 14 orang , termasuk warga negara Indonesia dan asing , pada tahun 2015. Semua dari mereka telah dihukum karena perdagangan narkoba . Dalam kesempatan lain Presiden Widodo anche Lain Bahwa pemerintah publik akan menolak aplikasi apapun grasi dibuat oleh orang-orang yang dijatuhi hukuman mati untuk kejahatan narkoba . Yang laporan ini didasarkan pada pekerjaan Amnesty International selama tiga Dekade terakhir mendokumentasikan penggunaan hukuman mati di Indonesia , meliputi penelitian dilakukan selama kunjungan Maret 2015 ke negara itu . Laporan ini menyoroti 12 kasus individu tahanan hukuman mati , dari total 131 orang hukuman mati , yang mengarah ke masalah sistemik dalam administrasi Indonesia keadilan itu mengakibatkan pelanggaran hukum dan standar HAM internasional.

Document(s)

: The Right Way: More Republican lawmakers championing death penalty repeal

By Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

United States


More details See the document

At a press conference in Washington, DC, Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty released a new report that shows the surge in the number of Republican lawmakers who sponsored death penalty repeal legislation at the state level. The report – called The Right Way – looked at all death penalty repeal bills filed since 2000, using the increase in sponsorships as a measure for growing Republican leadership on the issue.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Public opinion, Public debate, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Japanese : The Chaplain

By Japan Society Film, on 8 September 2020


Multimedia content

Japan


More details See the document

The late, great Ren Osugi (Hana-bi) stars as a prison chaplain working on death row in this thought-provoking chamber drama—his final film as an actor and first as a producer. Visiting with a regular roster of inmates who await their final sentence—including a converted ex-yakuza and a philosophy-spouting mass murderer—the newly appointed clergyman gradually learns of their circumstances and is forced to confront his own understanding of life, death and salvation. Featuring unforgettable characters and a restrained visual style, Dai Sako’s searching film takes on the rarely-addressed topic of Japan’s death penalty in order to question the state of the country’s soul.

  • Document type Multimedia content
  • Countries list Japan
  • Themes list Retribution, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Malay : Kecacatan yang membawa maut: Mengapa Malaysia harus mansuhkan hukuman mati

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Malaysia

zh-hantesenfr
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Hukuman mati dikekalkan di bawah undang-undang Malaysia untuk lebih 30 kesalahan dan selalu di laksanakan untuk kesalahan2 seperti- mengedar dadah- yang tidak sampai batas sempadan “jenayah paling serius”, yang mana perlaksanaan hukuman ini mesti di bataskan di bawah undang2 dan standard antarabangsa. Sehingga September 2019, lebih dari 1,290 orang telah di hokum mati. Kajian Amnesty International telah mengetengahkan beban hukuman mati dia Malaysia yang sebahagian besarnya terpikul di bahu pesalah yang disabitkan dengan kesalahan mengedar dadah, yang mana termasuklah wanita dan rakyat asing.

Document(s)

Indonesian : Tidak Manusiawi: Kondisi Lembaga Pemasyarakatan Bagi Terpidana Mati di Indonesia

By Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM) / Kontras / Carole Berrih, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Indonesia

en
More details See the document

Meskipun telah banyak penelitian telah dilakukan terkait dengan administrasi peradilan dalam kasus-kasus hukuman mati di Indonesia, hanya sedikit penelitian tentang kondisi penahanan seseorang yang dijatuhi hukuman mati di sebuah negara. Penelitian ini adalah salah satu penelitian pertama yang berfokus pada kondisi penahanan narapidana yang di hukum mati di Indonesia. Laporan ini bertujuan untuk memberikan suara kepada mereka yang mengalami hukuman mati di Indonesia dan juga pendapat dari keluarga mereka, bersamaan dengan mendokumentasikan situasi mereka.

Document(s)

: التعليق العام رقم 36 المادة 6 ( الحق في الحياة )

By Human Rights Committee, on 8 September 2020


United Nations report

enrufreszh-hant
More details See the document

يستعاض بهذا التعليق العام عن التعليق العام رقم 6 الذي اعتمدته اللجنة في دور تها السادسة عشرة (1982 )، والتعليق العام رقم 14 الذي اعتمدته اللجنة في دور تها ال ث ا لث ة والعشرين (1984 ).

Document(s)

Social survey: public attitudes in Kazakhstan to the death penalty for terrorist offences

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2014


2014

NGO report


More details See the document

This survey polled public opinion in Kazakhstan towards the use of the death penalty for terrorist offences resulting in death, and also for especially grave crimes committed inwartime.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

Report on the Death Penalty in Iraq UNAMI/OHCHR

By Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) / United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Human Rights Office, on 1 January 2014


International law - United Nations


More details See the document

This reporton the death penalty in Iraqis publishedjointlyby the Human RightsOffice of theUnited Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI)andthe Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).The first section of this report outlines the international human rights standards on the use of thedeath penalty. The subsequent sections examine the domestic legal framework for the use of thedeath penalty in Iraq, judicial proceedings in death penalty cases, the implementation of the deathpenalty since 2004, and thejustifications put forward by the Government of Iraq for its continueduse. The report concludes with a set of recommendations tothe Iraqi authorities, the Governmentof Kurdistan Region and the international community.

  • Document type International law - United Nations
  • Themes list Due Process , Hanging, Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Broken Justice: The death penalty in Alabama

By Rachel King / American Civil Liberties Union / Alabama, on 1 January 2005


2005

NGO report


More details See the document

This report documents unfairness and unreliability that plague the death penalty system in Alabama and makes several recommendations, including a moratorium on executions. The major areas of focus the report examines are: Inadequate Defence, Prosecutorial Misconduct, Judicial Overrides, Execution of the Mentallly Retarded, Racial Discrimination, and Geographic Disparities.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Innocence and the Crisis in the American Death Penalty

By Death Penalty Information Center / Richard C. Dieter, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report


More details See the document

This report catalogs the emergence of innocence as the most important issue in the long-simmering death penalty debate. The sheer number of cases and the pervasive awareness of this trend in the public’s consciousness have changed the way capital punishment is perceived around the country. The steady evolution of this issue since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 has been accelerated in recent years by the development of DNA technology, the new gold standard of forensic investigation. This science, along with a vigorous re-investigation of many cases, has led to the discovery of a growing number of tragic mistakes and freed inmates. The evidence in this report presents a compelling case for many Americans that the risks associated with capital punishment exceed acceptable bounds. One hundred and sixteen people have been freed from death row after being cleared of their charges, including 16 people in the past 20 months. These inmates cumulatively spent over 1,000 years awaiting their freedom. The pace of exonerations has sharply increased, raising doubts about the reliability of the whole system.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Innocence,

Document(s)

International Perspectives on the Death Penalty: A Costly Isolation for the U.S.

By Death Penalty Information Center / Richard C. Dieter, on 1 January 1999


1999

NGO report


More details See the document

This report examines the sequence of recent events that has increasingly placed the death penalty in the international spotlight. Some of these events are direct challenges to the practice of capital punishment in the U.S. Others are changes in the balance of death penalty practices and attitudes around the world. The report looks at the ways in which the international community has sought to limit the application of the death penalty, and the U.S.’s response to these initiatives. It also explores the world-wide trend towards complete abolition of the death penalty and the U.S. reaction. Although much of the official U.S. response to international criticism has been denial, the report looks at some local and unofficial actions, which indicate a different direction. Finally, the report notes the present and potential costs the U.S. is facing for adhering to the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Iraq: The Death Penalty, Executions, and “Prison Cleansing”

By Human Rights Watch, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Iraq


More details See the document

This briefing paper examines Iraq’s arbitrary and widespread use of the death penalty and extrajudicial executions. For more than three decades, the government of President Saddam Hussein has sanctioned the use of the death penalty and extrajudicial executions as a tool of political repression, both in order to eliminate real or suspected political opponents and to maintain a reign of terror over the population at large. The executions that have taken place over this period constitute an integral part of more systematic repression – characterized by widespread arbitrary arrests, indefinite detention without trial, death in custody under torture, and large-scale “disappearances” – through which the government has sustained its rule.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Iraq
  • Themes list Due Process ,

Document(s)

Beyond Reason: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2001


2001

NGO report


More details See the document

Twenty-five U.S. states still permit the execution of offenders with mental retardation and should pass laws to ban the practice without delay. The United States appears to be the only democracy whose laws expressly permit the execution of persons with this severe mental disability.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Intellectual Disability,

Document(s)

World Report 2010

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2010


2010

NGO report


More details See the document

This report is does not specificly concern the death penalty but examines the use of the death penalty on juveniles and those with mental illness in many retentionist countries. It contains information gathered in 2009.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Juveniles, Mental Illness,

Document(s)

World Report 2011

By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 2011


2011

NGO report


More details See the document

This report is does not specificly concern the death penalty but examines the use of the death penalty on juveniles and those with mental illness in many retentionist countries. It contains information gathered in 2009.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Juveniles, Mental Illness,

Document(s)

The Hidden Death Tax: The Secret Cost of Seeking Execution in California

By Natasha Minsker / American Civil Liberties Union, on 1 January 2008


2008

NGO report


More details See the document

California taxpayers pay at least $117 million each year at the post-conviction level seeking execution of the people currently on death row, or $175,000 per inmate per year. The largest single expense is the extra cost of simply housing people on death row, $90,000 per year per inmate more than housing in the general prison population. Executing all of the people currently on death row or waiting for them to die naturally – which will happen first – will cost California an estimated $4 billion more than if all the people on death row were sentenced to die of disease, injury or old age.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks, Financial cost,

Document(s)

Broken Justice: The Death Penalty in Virginia

By Rachel King / American Civil Liberties Union / Virginia, on 1 January 2003


2003

NGO report


More details See the document

In April of 2000, the ACLU of Virginia published its first report on the status of the death penalty in Virginia. Since that time, a remarkable number of changes have taken place on this issue both in Virginia and throughout the country, which necessitated a second edition of the report. The first report examined four aspects of the administration of capital punishment in Virginia: prosecutorial discretion in the charging of capital crimes, quality of legal representation for the accused at trial, appellate review of trials resulting in the death penalty and the role of race. This report will look at those four areas and also add several other issues: the problem of prosecutorial misconduct in capital cases, the problem of executing mentally retarded offenders, the question of executing juvenile offenders and the danger of executing wrongfully convicted persons, as shown by the growing number of individuals who have been exonerated while on death row.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Unequal, Unfair and Irreversible: The Death Penalty in Virginia

By Laura LaFay / American Civil Liberties Union / Virgina, on 1 January 2000


2000

NGO report


More details See the document

This report examines four key aspects of the administration of capital punishment in Virginia: prosecutorial discretion in the charging of capital crimes, quality of legal representation for the accused at trial, appellate review of trials resulting in the death penalty and race. During its preparation, another issue became apparent: the state’s record keeping.

  • Document type NGO report

Document(s)

SLAMMING THE COURTHOUSE DOORS – Denial of Access to Justice and Remedy in America

By American Civil Liberties Union / Washington, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

United States


More details See the document

According to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) entitled, “Slamming the Courthouse Doors: Denial of Access to Justice and Remedy in America,” many states severely restrict access to justice for capital defendants and limit the availability of remedies to correct errors. The problem of inadequate counsel continues to pervade death penalty systems across the country: “Few states provide adequate funds to compensate lawyers for their work or to investigate cases properly. In addition to inadequate funding, the majority of death-penalty states lack adequate competency standards. Many states require only minimal training and experience for attorneys handling death penalty cases, and in some cases capital defense attorneys fail to meet the minimum guidelines for capital defense set by the American Bar Association (ABA),” according to the ACLU. The report also states that the absence of a right to counsel in post-conviction appeals leaves capital defendants with few options to address serious errors during their trial.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Smart on Crime: Reconsidering the Death Penalty in a Time of Economic Crisis

By Death Penalty Information Center / Richard C. Dieter, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report


More details See the document

The death penalty in the U.S. is an enormously expensive and wasteful program with no clear benefits. All of the studies on the cost of capital punishment conclude it is much more expensive than a system with life sentences as the maximum penalty. In a time of painful budget cutbacks, states are pouring money into a system that results in a declining number of death sentences and executions that are almost exclusively carried out in just one area of the country. As many states face further deficits, it is an appropriate time to consider whether maintaining the costly death penalty system is being smart on crime.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Financial cost,

Document(s)

Mental Illness and the Death Penalty

By American Civil Liberties Union, on 1 January 2009


NGO report


More details See the document

This overview discusses the intersection of the law and the challenges faced by mentally ill capital defendants at every stage from trial through appeals and execution. It provides examples of some of the more famous cases of the execution of the mentally ill. Lastly, it describes current legislative efforts to exempt those who suffer from a serious mental illness from execution and the importance of such efforts.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Mental Illness,

Document(s)

The Forgotten Population: A Look at Death Row in the United States Through the Experiences of Women

By American Civil Liberties Union, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report


More details See the document

This report — the first-ever national survey of women currently on Death Row — found that women who have been sentenced to death are often subjected to harsh living conditions, including being forced to live in virtual isolation, and many are sentenced for crimes that don’t result in a death sentence for men.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Women,

Document(s)

The Persistent Problem of Racial Disparities in The Federal Death Penalty

By American Civil Liberties Union, on 1 January 2007


2007

NGO report


More details See the document

This paper details the profoundly troubling evidence that racial disparities continue to plague the modern federal death penalty. Of the next six federal inmates scheduled for execution, all are African-American defendants. Defendants of color make up the majority of federal death row and the majority of modern federal executions.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Minorities, Discrimination,

Document(s)

CHINA’S DEATH PENALTY REFORMS

By Bonny Ling / Si-si Liu / Cliff Ip / Human Rights In China, on 1 January 2007


NGO report


More details See the document

The Chinese authorities have introduced reforms to the death penalty system aimed at “killing fewer, and killing carefully.” Key systemic challenges remain, however, in ensuring that the criminally accused are not arbitrarily deprived of their inherent right to life.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

A Penalty Without Legitimacy: The Mandatory Death Penalty in Trinidad and Tobago

By Douglas Mendes / Florence Seemungal / Jeffrey Fagan / Roger Hood / The Death Penalty Project, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report


More details See the document

As a result of legal challenges, and in line with the trend worldwide, the mandatory death penalty has now been abolished in nine Caribbean countries and a discretion to impose a lesser sentence has been given to the judges of the Eastern Caribbean, Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas. However, in relation to Trinidad & Tobago, in the case of Charles Matthew (Matthew v The State [2005] 1 AC 433), a majority of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council decided – notwithstanding that the mandatory death penalty was cruel and unusual punishment in violation of entrenched fundamental freedoms and human rights established in the Constitution of Trinidad & Tobago – that it remained protected from constitutional challenge by the operation of the “savings clause” in the Constitution. As a result, Trinidad & Tobago remains one of only three Commonwealth Caribbean countries (Barbados and Guyana being the other two) that still retains the mandatory death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Mandatory Death Penalty,

Document(s)

PUBLIC OPINION ON THE MANDATORY DEATH PENALTY IN TRINIDAD: A SUMMARY OF THE MAIN FINDINGS OF A SURVEY

By Florence Seemungal / Roger Hood / The Death Penalty Project, on 1 January 2011


2011

NGO report


More details See the document

A survey of the opinions of a representative sample of 1,000 residents of Trinidad, almost all of them citizens, on the very topical subject of the death penalty, in particular the support for and use of the mandatory death penalty for murder under current Trinidadian law, has just been completed. The data was collected in Trinidad (but not Tobago for reasons largely of the cost involved in collecting a small sample of interviews) by face-to-face interviews between 16th November and 16th December 2010.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

From Cradle to Coffin: A Report on Child Executions in Iran

By Stop Child Executions / Foreign Policy Center, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report


More details See the document

This report aims to briefly highlight the past and present challenges and choices in Iran’s human rights record on juvenile offenders. It considers legal and theological perspectives on key issues as well as presenting case studies on selected individuals whose mistreatment raises serious questions about the injustices faced by young people in the Iranian judicial system. The report offers practical recommendations to the international community as it takes a closer look at the Islamic Republic and its human rights record through the 2010 Universal Periodic Review.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Juveniles,

Document(s)

Cameroun: NGO Report on the Implementation of the ICCPR

By Gender Empowerment and Development / Association de Lutte contre les Violences faites aux Femmes / Centre for Civil and Political Rights / Solidarité Pour la Promotion des Droits de l’Homme et des Peuples / Association pour la défense de l’homosexualité / Syndicat National des Journalistes du Cameroun, on 1 January 2010


2010

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

Cameroon, with a population of approximately 18 million, has a multiparty system of government, with the current ruling party Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) in power since it was created in 1985. The president retains the power to control legislation or to rule by decree. Although the civilian authorities do generally maintain effective control of the security forces, security forces sometimes act independently of government authority. Authorities arbitrarily arrest and detain citizens for different reasons. Among those arbitrarily arrested and detained are human rights defenders and other activists and persons not carrying government-issued identity cards. There are incidents of prolonged and sometimes incommunicado pretrial detention and infringement on privacy rights. The government restricts freedom of speech, press, assembly, and association, and harasses journalists and human rights defenders. Other problems include widespread official corruption, societal violence, discrimination against women, the trafficking of children and girls, and discrimination against homosexuals. The government restricts worker rights and activities of independent labor organizations. The diverse cultural beliefs and ethnic groups promote to a large extend discrimination against and violations of women and young people, widows and the divorced. This report specifically highlights violations in 2008 and 2009, with a few violations in other years.

Document(s)

The death penalty in the Arab world: Study on the death penalty in some Arab countries

By Arab Penal Reform Organization APRO, on 1 January 2007


2007

NGO report

ar
More details See the document

The essence of the death penalty is the eradication of life for the condemned. Death penalty was a common practice in ancient heavenly religions, especially in times dominated by the idea of religious revenge. Additionally, it was implemented in a brutal and cruel way accompanied by terrible methods of torture. The death penalty has not been controversial in the old legislation; it has been recognized by scholars without attempting to justify it, as governors and legislators apply it without resistance from thinkers and philosophers. In the modern era, controversy has arisen about the feasibility and legality of the death penalty as a form of social reaction to the offender. The eighteenth century is marked by philosophical ideas which attacked the prevailing penal systems, as studies and research have appeared on the social and anthropological causes of crime. Thus, two intellectual trends have appeared on the horizon: those in favor of retaining the death penalty, and those demanding its abolishment. Each trend has its reasons and pretexts supporting their thoughts concerning the death penalty. Hence, the study analyses and examines “The Death Penalty in the Arab World” through a series of distinctive research methods, addressing the death penalty in ten Arab countries. The following is presented according to a signal research plan that includes: crimes punishable by death, and procedural guarantees on the death penalty and its adequacy, as well as putting forward many proposals and recommendations on the abolishment of the death penalty. This study includes the death penalty in ten Arab countries: Bahrain – Egypt – Jordan – Iraq – Lebanon- Morocco- Palestine – Saudi Arabia – Syria- Yemen. —- Go to first document in English.

Document(s)

A Crisis of Confidence: Americans’ Doubts About the Death Penalty

By Death Penalty Information Center / Richard C. Dieter, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

United States


More details See the document

According to a national public opinion poll conducted in 2007, the public is losing confidence in the death penalty. People are deeply concerned about the risk of executing the innocent, about the fairness of the process, and about the inability of capital punishment to accomplish its basic purposes. Most Americans believe that innocent people have already been executed, that the death penalty is not a deterrent to crime, and that a moratorium should be placed on all executions.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

I don’t want another kid to die: Families of Victims Murdered by Juveniles Oppose Juvenile Executions

By Robert Renny Cushing / Susannah Sheffer / Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

United States


More details See the document

“I don’t want another kid to die” is a report about the juvenile death penalty from the perspective of family members of victims killed by juvenile offenders and parents of juvenile offenders who have been executed.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Juveniles, Murder Victims' Families,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in Lesotho: The Law and Practice

By Moses O A Owori / British Institute of International and Comparative Law, on 1 January 2004


2004

NGO report


More details See the document

The first part of the paper looks at the national law governing the death penalty vis-à-vis international standards; the second part of the paper identifies the problems one encounters at the pretrial, trial and post trial stages and examines the attempts to solve some of these problems; the final part looks at present trends in the application of the death penalty and draws tentative conclusions as to the future prospects of the death penalty in Lesotho.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Due Process ,

Document(s)

Zambia: Time to abolish the death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2001


2001

NGO report


More details See the document

This report aims at focusing attention on the country’s use of the death penalty, particularly as Zambia does not apply international standards for fair trials in its use of the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Japan: Hanging by a thread: Mental health and the death penalty in Japan

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report


More details See the document

The use of the death penalty is in decline globally. Japan is one of the few industrialized countries to continue to use it, hanging a small number of prisoners each year. This report discusses the legal basis for exempting mentally ill prisoners from the death penalty and documents the situation faced by such prisoners on death row in Japan. It calls on the authorities to ensure that mentally ill prisoners are not executed and to implement a moratorium on the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Mental Illness,

Document(s)

The death penalty worldwide: Developments in 1999

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2000


2000

NGO report

fres
More details See the document

This paper is an attempt to cover developments during 1999 and provide information current at the end of the year concerning the death penalty worldwide, different aspects of its use and attempts to abolish it or reduce its application.

Document(s)

Japan: “Will this day be my last?” The death penalty in Japan

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Japan

enes
More details See the document

This report examines a number of concerns related to the application of the death penalty in Japan, where approximately 87 prisoners currently remain on death row. These concerns include the fact that a prisoner is notified of the execution on the morning of the day it is to be carried out. In some cases the prisoner is not notified at all. This means that prisoners live with the constant fear of execution, not knowing whether they will be alive the next day. Amnesty International calls on the Japanese government to abolish the death penalty as a matter of urgency.

Document(s)

The death penalty worldwide: Developments in 2000

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2001


2001

NGO report

arfres
More details See the document

This paper covers events around the exercise of the death penalty during the year 2000, including such subjects as significant national and international court cases and decisions; important studies; the use of the death penalty against the mentally ill and those with mental retardation; its use against the `innocent’ and against women; medical and religious perspectives and public opinion polls and surveys.

Document(s)

Ghana: Briefing on death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2000


2000

NGO report

fres
More details See the document

As the Presidential elections approach in Ghana, Amnesty International is renewing its call for steps towards abolishing the death penalty, after seven years without any executions. This document describes the current use of the death penalty, giving details of those currently under sentence of death and describing the death penalty under Ghanaian law and international law

Document(s)

Singapore: The death penalty – A hidden toll of executions

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Singapore

fr
More details See the document

More than 400 prisoners have been hanged in Singapore since 1991, giving the small city-state possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population of just over four million people. This report examines the use of the death penalty for drug offences, murder and firearms offences. It emphasizes the cruel and arbitrary nature of the death penalty and shows how it has been imposed on the most marginalized or vulnerable members of society including drug addicts, the poorly educated, the impoverished or unemployed, and migrant workers.

Document(s)

Socialist Republic of Viet Nam: The death penalty – recent developments

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Viet Nam


More details See the document

This document contains information about the recent developments in Vietm Nam regarding the death penalty. Amnesty International welcomes the reduction in the number of offenses punishable by the death penalty. However, the organization remains concerned that there is still a broad range of offenses which are punishable by the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Viet Nam

Document(s)

India: Lethal Lottery: The Death Penalty in India – A study of Supreme Court judgments in death penalty cases 1950-2006

By Amnesty International / Bikram Jeet Batra, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

India


More details See the document

The report shows that contrary to the majority Bench’s views and intentions in Bachan Singh, errors and arbitrariness have not been checked by the safeguards in place, and no small role in this has been played by the judges themselveswho have rarely adhered to the requirements laid down in Bachan Singh, making it clear that it is commonly the judge’s subjective discretion that eventually decides the fate of the accused-appellant.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list India
  • Themes list Due Process , Statistics,

Document(s)

West Africa: Time to abolish the death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2003


2003

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

This doument summarizes each of the 16 ECOWAS countries’ legislation on the death penalty, provides information on the most recent executions and convictions and notes the view currently taken by the governments concerned. Two thirds have already abolished the death penalty

Document(s)

Mental retardation and the death penalty

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2001


2001

NGO report


More details See the document

This paper attempts to summarise the issues arising from the practice of executing prisoners who have mental retardation. It draws mainly on the US experience but makes reference to other jurisdictions.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Intellectual Disability,

Document(s)

Dignity Denied: The Experience of Murder Victims’ Family Members Who Oppose the Death Penalty

By Robert Renny Cushing / Susannah Sheffer / Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

United States


More details See the document

This report, which includes policy recommendations, is the culmination of a long effort to identify and document the bias on the part of some prosecutors, judges, and members of the victims’ services community against victims’ family members who oppose the death penalty.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Murder Victims' Families,

Document(s)

Commonwealth of Independent States: Positive trend on the abolition of the death penalty but more needs to be done

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2006


2006

NGO report

ru
More details See the document

On 28 November the meeting of the heads of the states in the Commonwealth of Independent States takes place in Minsk, Belarus. On the eve of the meeting Amnesty International calls on the heads of CIS states to put the issue of the abolition of the death penalty high on their agenda and to do all within their power to make the region a death penalty-free zone. Amnesty international is concerned that the conditions on death row in the region fall far short of international standards.

Document(s)

The Death Penalty V. Human Rights: Why Abolish the Death Penalty?

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007


2007

NGO report

fres
More details See the document

In this document Amnesty International calls on the UN General Assembly, 62nd session, (2007) to adopt a resolution affirming the right to life and stating that abolition of the death penalty is essential for the protection of human rights and to report on the implementation of the moratorium to the next session of the UNGA. It also calls on retentionist countries to establish a moratorium on executions and to respect international standards that guarantee the protection of the rights of those facing the death penalty.

Document(s)

A Thousand People Face the Death Penalty in Iraq

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report

arfres
More details See the document

Iraq now has one of the highest rates of execution in the world. At least 1,000 people are believed to be under sentence of death, 150 of whom have exhausted all legal remedies available to them and are therefore at serious risk of being hanged. This document describes the use of the death penalty in Iraq, including issues of transperancy, crimes punishable by death, unfair trials, the death penalty as used in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and some individual cases are discussed.

Document(s)

Hope and Fear: Human Rights in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2009


NGO report

ar
More details See the document

Amnesty International received information from a number of sentenced prisoners indicating that their trials had not met international fair trial standards. Some had been tried in secret locations, rather than in properly established courts of law. Some trials had been completed within an hour. A number of prisoners complained that they had been convicted on the basis of false “confessions” which they had been forced to make under torture or other illtreatment during pre-trial detention. Detainees commonly were denied access to lawyers in the early stages of their detention, when they were usually held incommunicado, and were interrogated by the Asayish.

Document(s)

Nigeria: Waiting for the Hangman

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2008


2008

NGO report

fr
More details See the document

More than 720 men and 11 women are under sentence of death in Nigeria’s prisons. They have one thing in common, beyond not knowing when they will be put to death. They are poor. From their first contact with the police, through the trial process, to seeking pardon, those with the fewest resources are at a serious disadvantage. This text describes the treatment of the death penalty in Nigeria.

Document(s)

Myanmar: The Administration Of Justice – Grave And Abiding Concerns

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


2020

NGO report

Myanmar


More details See the document

This report discusses Amnesty International’s concern about political imprisonments in Myanmar. Arbitrary arrests; torture and ill-treatment during incommunicado detention; unfair trials; and laws which greatly curtail the rights to freedom of expression and assembly continue as major obstacles to the improvement in the State Peace and Development Council’s human rights record. The section dedicated to the death penalty talks about the death penalty system in relation to specific cases.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Countries list Myanmar
  • Themes list Country/Regional profiles,

Document(s)

Saudi Arabia: Defying world trends – Saudi Arabia’s extensive use of capital punishment

By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020


NGO report

Saudi Arabia

arfr
More details See the document

This document examines the death penalty in Saudi Arabia and how it is sustained by a mixture of legal, judicial and political factors, whose redress requires a strong political will from the Saudi Arabian government together with a consistent concern and assistance by the international community.

Document(s)

USA: The execution of mentally ill offenders

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2006


2006

NGO report


More details See the document

More than 1,000 men and women have been put to death in the USA since executions resumed there in 1977. Dozens of these people had histories of mental impairment, either from before the crimes for which they were sentenced, or at the time of their execution. The report discusses many cases and includes an illustrative list of 100 people. It does not attempt to answer the complex question of precisely which defendants should be exempt from the death penalty on the grounds of mental illness at the time of the crime.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Mental Illness, Intellectual Disability,

Document(s)

Double Tragedies: Victims Speak Out Against the Death Penalty for People with Severe Mental Illness

By Susannah Sheffer / National Alliance on Mental Illness / Murder Victims' Families for Human Rights, on 1 January 2009


2009

NGO report


More details See the document

This report asserts that the death penalty is not only inappropriate and unwarranted for persons with severe mental illness but that it also serves as a distraction from problems within the mental health system that contributed or even led directly to tragic violence. Families of murder victims and families of people with mental illness who have committed murder have a cascade of questions and needs. It is to these questions, rather than to the death penalty, that as a society we must turn our attention and our collective energies if we are truly to address the problem of untreated mental illness and the lethal violence that can result.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Mental Illness, Murder Victims' Families,

Document(s)

Position Paper: Death Penalty under the Palestinian National Authority

By Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, on 1 January 2010


2010

NGO report


More details See the document

This paper describes the international law surrounding the trend towards abolition. It then discusses this in relation to the death penalty in Palestine which has come under criticism from Human Rights NGO’s to provide prisoners with international standards regarding their detention and providing a fair trial.

  • Document type NGO report
  • Themes list Trend Towards Abolition,

Document(s)

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

By United Nations, on 1 January 1948


1948

United Nations report

arrufrzh-hantes
More details See the document

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and “to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.” Article 3 – Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Document(s)

Death sentences and executions in 2010

By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2011


2011

NGO report

fres
More details See the document

In the last decade, more than 30 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. Fifty-eight countries worldwide now retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes, and less than half of these carried out executions in 2010. This report analyzes some of the key developments in the worldwide application of the death penalty in 2010, citing figures gathered by Amnesty International on the number of death sentences handed down and executions carried out during the year.

Document(s)

Guided Jury Discretion in Capital Murder Cases: The Role of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge

By Richard L. Wiener / Psychology, Public Policy and Law / Melanie Rogers / Ryan Winter / Linda Hurt / Amy Hackney / Karen Kadela / Hope Seib / Shannon Rauch / Laura Warren / Ben Morasco, on 1 January 2004


2004

Article

United States


More details See the document

This article analyzes whether state-approved jury instructions adequately guide jury discretion in the penalty phase of first-degree murder trials. It examines Eighth Amendment jurisprudence regarding guided jury discretion, emphasizing the use of “empirical factors” to examine the quality of state-approved instructions. Psychological research and testimony on the topic of the comprehensibility of jury instructions are reviewed. Data from a recently completed simulation with 80 deliberating juries showed that current instructions do not adequately convey the concepts and processes essential to guiding penalty phase judgments. An additional simulation with 20 deliberating juries demonstrated that deliberation alone does not correct for jurors’ errors in comprehension. The article concludes with recommendations for policy and future research.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Fair Trial,

Document(s)

Physicians Willingness to Participate in the Process of lethal Injection for Capital Punishment

By Joan Weiner / Brian M. Aboff / Neil J. / Farber / Annals of Internal Medecine 135(10), 884-888 / Elizabeth B. Davis / E. Gil Boyer / Peter A. Ubel, on 1 January 2001


2001

Article

United States


More details See the document

Occasionally, physicians’ personal values conflict with their perceived societal duties. One example is the case of lethal injection for the purpose of capital punishment. Some states require that such lethal injections be performed by physicians. At the same time, leading medical societies have concluded that physicians should avoid participating in capital punishment. Physicians’ attitudes toward involvement in capital punishment may depend on how they balance their responsibilities to individuals against their duties to society. Other factors may include a desire to provide a more painless death for the prisoner or concern over the competency of other health care personnel. In a previous survey, we found that a majority of physicians condoned involvement of their fellow physicians in capital punishment. For the current study, we conducted another survey to ascertain physicians’ attitudes about their own involvement in capital punishment, as well as factors associated with these attitudes.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Lethal Injection,

Document(s)

When Law and Ethics Collide — Why Physicians Participate in Executions

By Atul Gawande / New England Journal of Medecine 354(12), 1-13., on 1 January 2006


2006

Article

United States


More details See the document

Evidence from execution logs showed that six of the last eight prisoners executed in California had not stopped breathing before technicians gave the paralytic agent, raising a serious possibility that prisoners experienced suffocation from the paralytic, a feeling much like being buried alive, and felt intense pain from the potassium bolus. This experience would be unacceptable under the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment protections against cruel and unusual punishment. So the judge ordered the state to have an anesthesiologist present in the death chamber to determine when the prisoner was unconscious enough for the second and third injections to be given — or to perform the execution with sodium thiopental alone.The California Medical Association, the American Medical Association (AMA), and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) immediately and loudly opposed such physician participation as a clear violation of medical ethics codes. “Physicians are healers, not executioners,” the ASA’s president told reporters. Nonetheless, in just two days, prison officials announced that they had found two willing anesthesiologists. The court agreed to maintain their anonymity and to allow them to shield their identities from witnesses. Both withdrew the day before the execution, however, after the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit added a further stipulation requiring them personally to administer additional medication if the prisoner remained conscious or was in pain. This they would not accept. The execution was then postponed until at least May, but the court has continued to require that medical professionals assist with the administration of any lethal injection given to Morales. This turn of events is the culmination of a steady evolution in methods of execution in the United States.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Lethal Injection,

Document(s)

Mercy By the Numbers: An Empirical Analysis of Clemency and Its Structure

By Michael Heise / Virginia Law Review, on 1 January 2003


2003

Article

United States


More details See the document

Clemency is an extrajudicial measure intended both to enhance fairness in the administration of justice, and allow for the correction of mistakes. Perhaps nowhere are these goals more important than in the death penalty context. The recent increased use of the death penalty and concurrent decline in the number of defendants removed from death row through clemency call for a better and deeper understanding of clemency authority and its application. Questions about whether clemency decisions are consistently and fairly distributed are particularly apt. This study uses 27 years of death penalty and clemency data to explore the influence of defendant characteristics, political factors, and clemency’s structure on clemency decisions. The results suggest that although a defendant’s race and ethnicity did not influence clemency, gender did play a role, as women were far more likely than their male counterparts to receive clemency. Analyses of political and structural factors point in different directions. Political factors such as the timing of gubernatorial and presidential elections and a governor’s lame-duck status did not systematically influence clemency. However, how states structure clemency authority did make a difference. Clemency grants were more likely in states that vest authority in administrative boards than in states that vest authority in the governor. Regionality and time were also important as clemency grants were less likely in southern states and declined after 1984. Overall, these mixed results contribute to a critique that clemency decisions are arbitrary and inconsistent. Thus, important questions regarding fairness that plague earlier aspects of the death penalty process persist to its final stage.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Clemency,

Document(s)

The Political Sociology of the Death Penalty: A Pooled Time-Series Analysis

By Jason T. Carmichael / David Jacobs / American Sociological Review, on 1 January 2002


2002

Article

United States


More details See the document

Despite the interest in the death penalty, no statistical studies have isolated the social and political forces that account for the legality of this punishment. Racial or ethnic threat theories suggest that the death penalty will more likely be legal in jurisdictions with relatively large black or Hispanic populations. Economic threat explanations suggest that this punishment will be present in unequal areas. Jurisdictions with a more conservative public or a stronger law and order Republican party should be more likely to legalize the death penalty as well. After controlling for social disorganization, region, period, and voilent crime, panel analyses suggest that minority presence and economic inequality enhance the likelihood of a legal death penalty. Conservative values and Republican strength in the legislature have equivalent effects; A supplement time-to-event analysis supports these conclusions. The results suggest that a political approach has explanatory power because threat effects expressed through politics and effects that are directly political invariable account for decisions about the legality of capital punishment.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Capital Punishment, the Moratorium Movement, and Empirical Questions: Looking Beyond Innocence Race and Bad Lawyering in Death Penalty Cases

By James R. Acker / Charles A. Lanier / Psychology, Public Policy and Law, on 1 January 2004


2004

Article

United States


More details See the document

This article briefly explores the underpinnings of the contemporary capital punishment moratorium movement and examines executive and legislative responses to calls for a halt to executions, including suggestions for studying the death penalty process. Although most investigations focus on select issues like innocence, ineffective counsel, and race bias, this article suggests that a wide-ranging constellation of issues should be investigated in any legitimate attempt to evaluate the administration of the death penalty. The article canvasses this broader sweep of issues, discusses related research evidence, and then considers the policy implications of conducting such a thorough empirical assessment of the administration of capital punishment in this country.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Moratorium ,

Document(s)

Stuck in the Dark Ages: Supreme Court Decision Making and Legal Developments

By James R.P. Ogloff / Psychology, Public Policy and Law / Sonia R. Chopra, on 1 January 2004


Article

United States


More details See the document

In the latter quarter of the 20th century, the United States Supreme Court has generally refused to narrow the procedural and substantive conditions under which adults may be sentenced to death for capital murder. The current status of social science evidence is briefly reviewed to evaluate the Court’s treatment of 3 specific categories of evidence: The death-qualified jury, prejudicial capital sentencing, and juror comprehension of capital-sentencing instructions. The role of perceptions of public opinion in the perseverance of capital punishment statutes is considered. It appears that the Court, in general, does not place much weight on social science evidence. Suggestions are made for future areas of research and practice for social scientists interested in capital punishment.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Exploring the Effects of Altitudes Toward the Death Penalty on Capital Sentencing Verdicts

By Kevin O’Neil / Psychology, Public Policy and Law / Marc W. Patry / Steven D. Penrod, on 1 January 2004


Article

United States


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Attitudes toward the death penalty are multifaceted and strongly held, but little research outside of the death-qualification literature has focused on the role that such attitudes and beliefs play in jurors’ capital sentencing verdicts. A single item is insufficient to properly measure attitudes toward the death penalty; therefore, a new 15-item, 5-factor scale was constructed and validated. Use of this scale in 11 studies of capital jury decision making found a large effect of general support of the death penalty on sentencing verdicts as well as independent aggravating effects for the belief that the death penalty is a deterrent and the belief that a sentence of life without parole nonetheless allows parole. These effects generally were not completely mediated by, nor did attitudes moderate the effects of, aggravating and mitigating factors.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Why Do White Americans Support the Death Penalty?

By Journal of Politics / Alan R. Metelko / Laura Langbein, on 1 January 2003


2003

Article

United States


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This article explores the roots of white support for capital punishment in the United States. Our analysis addresses individual-level and contextual factors, paying particular attention to how racial attitudes and racial composition influence white support for capital punishment. Our findings suggest that white support hinges on a range of attitudes wider than prior research has indicated, including social and governmental trust and individualist and authoritarian values. Extending individual-level analyses, we also find that white responses to capital punishment are sensitive to local context. Perhaps most important, our results clarify the impact of race in two ways. First, racial prejudice emerges here as a comparatively strong predictor of white support for the death penalty. Second, black residential proximity functions to polarize white opinion along lines of racial attitude. As the black percentage of county residents rises, so too does the impact of racial prejudice on white support for capital punishment.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Public opinion,

Document(s)

The Death Penalty in the United States: A Crisis of Conscience

By Richard L. Wiener / Craig Haney / Psychology, Public Policy and Law, on 1 January 2004


2004

Article

United States


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The articles in this issue discuss many appellate court decisions that turned on due process problems in the guilt and penalty phases of capital murder trials and the troubling role of race in capital prosecutions. Governor Ryan of Illinois cited many of these issues when he declared a moratorium on the death penalty and appointed a blue-ribbon panel to study the prosecution of capital murder in 2000. Governor Ryan commuted the sentences of all Illinois death row inmates in January 2003, in part, because the legislature was unable to address these issues that again appeared in the panel’s report. These issues raise serious questions about the reliability of the capital murder system and recommend a continued public debate about its fairness.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Networks,

Document(s)

Alternatives to the Death Penalty: The Problems with Life Imprisonment

By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2007


2007

Arguments against the death penalty


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This briefing examines the use of life imprisonment worldwide, including the increasing trend of life imprisonment without the possibility of release, or life without parole (LWOP). Emerging trends indicate an increase in the number of offences carrying the sanction of life imprisonment, a greater prevalence of indeterminate sentencing, a reduction in the use of parole, and the lengthening of prison terms as a whole. The abolition of the death penalty has played a significant role in the increased use of life imprisonment sentences, and LWOP in particular. Conditions of detention and the treatment of prisoners serving life sentences are often far worse than those for the rest of the prison population and more likely to fall below international human rights standards.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Sentencing Alternatives,

Document(s)

The Role of International Law in United States Death Penalty Cases

By Sandra Babcock / Leiden Journal of International Law, on 1 January 2002


2002

Article

United States


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The United States has repeatedly failed to notify detained foreign nationals of their rights to consular notification and access under Article 36 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. In capital cases, US non-compliance with this ratified Treaty has led to litigation by foreign governments and individual lawyers in domestic courts and international tribunals. While these efforts have had mixed results in individual cases, litigation by Mexico, Germany and other actors has led to increased compliance with Article 36, and a growing recognition of the significance of US treaty obligations.

  • Document type Article
  • Countries list United States
  • Themes list Foreign Nationals,

Document(s)

Alternatives to the Death Penalty

By Death Penalty Focus / Alternatives to the Death Penalty, on 1 January 2008


2008

Arguments against the death penalty


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In every state that retains the death penalty, jurors have the option of sentencing convicted capital murderers to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The sentence is cheaper to tax-payers and keeps violent offenders off the streets for good. The information is California specific.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Sentencing Alternatives,

Document(s)

The High Cost of the Death Penalty

By Death Penalty Focus, on 8 September 2020


2020

Arguments against the death penalty


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A fact sheet on the cost of the death penalty in the United States. Life emprisonment without parole is suggested.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Transparency, Death Penalty, Financial cost,

Document(s)

Deterrence

By Death Penalty Focus, on 8 September 2020


Arguments against the death penalty


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Scientific studies have consistently failed to demonstrate that executions deter people from committing crime anymore than long prison sentences.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Deterrence ,

Document(s)

Racial Disparities

By Death Penalty Focus, on 1 January 2009


2009

Arguments against the death penalty


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The race of the victim and the race of the defendant in capital cases are major factors in determining who is sentenced to die in this country. In 1990 a report from the General Accounting Office concluded that “in 82 percent of the studies [reviewed], race of the victim was found to influence the likelihood of being charged with capital murder or receiving the death penalty, i.e. those who murdered whites were more likely to be sentenced to death than those who murdered blacks.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Discrimination,

Document(s)

Inadequete Legal Representation

By Death Penalty Focus, on 8 September 2020


2020

Arguments against the death penalty


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Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether a defendant will receive the death penalty is the quality of the representation he or she is provided. Almost all defendants in capital cases cannot afford their own attorneys. In many cases, the appointed attorneys are overworked, underpaid, or lacking the trial experience required for death penalty cases.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty
  • Themes list Legal Representation,

Document(s)

Human Rights and the Death Penalty in the United States

By The Advocates for Human Rights, on 8 September 2020


Arguments against the death penalty


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This sheet details what human rights are in relation to the death penalty and the USA. It discusses racism, inadequete legal representation and the unjustifiable cost of the death penalty in the US.

  • Document type Arguments against the death penalty