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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
More details See the document
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)
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF THE ULTIMATE PENAL SANCTION ON HOMICIDE SURVIVORS: A TWO STATE COMPARISON
By Marilyn Peterson Armour / Marquette Law Review, on 1 January 2012
2012
Academic report
More details See the document
Numerous studies have examinedthe psychological sequelae thatresult from the murder of a loved one. Except for the death penalty,however, sparse attention has been paidto the impact of the murderer’ssentence on homicide survivors’ well-being. Given the steadfastness ofthe public’s opinion that the death penalty brings satisfaction and closureto survivors, it is surprising thatthere has been no systematic inquirydirectly with survivors about whether obtaining the ultimate punishmentaffects their healing. This Study used in-person interviews with arandomly selected sample of survivorsfrom four time periods to examinethe totality of the ultimate penal sanction (UPS) process and itslongitudinal impact on their lives. Moreover, it assessed the differentialeffect of two types of UPS by comparing survivors’ experiences in Texas,a death penalty state, and Minnesota, a life without the possibility ofparole (LWOP) state. Comparing states highlights differences primarilyduring the postconviction stage, specifically with respect to the appealsprocess and in regard to survivor well-being. In Minnesota, survivors ofadjudicated cases show higher levels of physical, psychological, andbehavioral health. This Study’s findings have implications for trialstrategy and policy development.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Murder Victims' Families,
Document(s)
Death Penalty India Report – Volume 1
By Anup Surendranath / National Law University, New Delhi Press, on 8 September 2020
2020
NGO report
India
More details See the document
This project sought to answer questions regarding the socio-economic profile of prisoners sentenced to death in India while looking into the process of death sentencing in itself. By means of meaningful statistics and case studies, this report manages to enlighten some aspects of the death penalty in India which are generally not fully explored and triggers a sociological discussion on these thorny issues that goes beyond the legal analysis of Supreme Court judgments.Chapters:1) Coverage of the project2) Durations on death row3) Nature of crimes4) Socio-economic profile5) Legal assistanceLink to Volume 2: http://www.worldcoalition.org/resourcecentre/document/id/1463669874
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list India
- Themes list Discrimination, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Chad, Death Penalty: ending a moratorium, between security opportunism and settling of scores
By International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) / Mahfoudh Ould Bettah / Isabelle Gourmelon / Olivier Foks, on 1 January 2004
2004
NGO report
frMore details See the document
The report is damning, showing a system of justice which attaches little importance to regional and international instruments for the protection of human rights ratified by Chad. The case was conducted with a haste wholly incompatible with the respect for the right to a fair trial – proceedings exclusively for the prosecution, confessions obtained under torture, refusal to take account of evidence brought by the defence during the investigation, no lawyer present during the investigation stage. This iniquitous trial proves the hypothesis that justice has been manipulated in order to hide the true nature of a crime and the identity of its perpetrators, whilst securing the executions of persons judged undesirable.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Fair Trial, Country/Regional profiles,
- Available languages Tchad, Peine de mort: la levée d'un moratoire, entre opportunisme sécuritaire et règlement de compte
Document(s)
Death Penalty Can Prolong the Suffering of a Vicitm’s Family
By Death Penalty Focus, on 8 September 2020
2020
Academic report
United States
More details See the document
Many family members who have lost loved ones to murder feel that the death penalty will not heal their wounds nor will it end their pain. This webpage provides resources for those looking to connect with murder victims’ families organisations.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
Summaries of Key Supreme Court Cases Related to the Death Penalty
By Capital Punishment in Context, on 1 January 2012
2012
Legal Representation
More details See the document
Summary of key supreme court cases in the United States, these cases deal with juror problems, the constitutionality of the death penalty and juveniles amongst key cases discussed.
- Document type Legal Representation
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
Capital and punishment: Resource scarcity increases endorsement of the death penalty
By Arizona State University (ASU), on 1 January 2018
2018
Academic report
More details See the document
A new study by an interdisciplinary team of Arizona State University psychology researchers has found a link between the actual and perceived scarcity of resources and support for capital punishment. The study discovered that countries with greater resource scarcity were more likely to have a death penalty, as were U.S. states with lower per capita income.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Death Penalty, Financial cost,
Document(s)
Death Penalty and Deterrence
By Amnesty International - USA, on 8 September 2020
2020
Arguments against the death penalty
More details See the document
An argument against deterrence is made by looking at a survey which found that during the last 20 years, the homicide rate in states with the death penalty has been 48 to 101 percent higher than in states without the death penalty.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Deterrence ,
Member(s)
Planète Réfugiés – Droits de l’homme
on 30 April 2020
Planète Réfugiés-Droits de l’Homme (PRDH) aims, through research, training and advocacy activities in France and internationally, at the effective realization of inherent human rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, treaties and conventions protecting individual and collective freedoms, international standards and guidelines. In terms of research, PRDH focuses part of its action […]
2020
France
Document(s)
The Death Penalty in 2014: video summary
By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2014
2014
NGO report
More details See the document
DPIC’s 2014 Year-End Report. Death sentences were at a 40-year low and executions were at a 20-year low. Texas, Missouri, and Florida accounted for 80% of all the executions in the United States. There were 7 exonerations this year and it took an average of 30 years to discover their innocence.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Innocence, Statistics,
Document(s)
The Death Penalty Project’s Annual Lecture 2014
By William A. Schabas / Death Penalty Project, on 8 September 2020
2020
Multimedia content
More details See the document
On 28th January 2014, DPP’s 3rd lecture was held at the Inner Temple, London. Professor William Schabas delivered a lecture entitled “Universal Abolition: Only a Decade Away“. This video recording of the lecture includes the Q&A session.
- Document type Multimedia content
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition,
Document(s)
Deadly Justice: A Statistical Portrait of the Death Penalty
By Oxford University Press / Frank Baumgartner, on 1 January 2017
2017
Book
More details See the document
Provides a comprehensive statistical assessment of how the death penalty has been applied over the entire modern period, 1976 to present
- Document type Book
- Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Death Penalty, Statistics,
Document(s)
Public Opinion On The Death Penalty In Singapore: Survey Findings
By National University of Singapore / Chan Wing Cheong / Tan Ern Ser / Jack Lee / Braema Mathi, on 1 January 2018
2018
Academic report
More details See the document
Informations and survey findings about the public opinion on the death penalty in Singapore
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Public opinion, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Views on the death penalty among college students in India
By Eric G. Lambert / Sudershan Pasupuleti / Punishment and Society / Shanhe Jiang / K. Jaishankar / Jagadis V. Bhimarasetty, on 1 January 2008
2008
Article
India
More details See the document
While research abounds on attitudes toward capital punishment in the United States, such work has been lacking in non-western nations — particularly in India, the world’s largest democracy. Data recently collected have revealed variance in levels of support for the death penalty among Indian college students: 44 percent express some degree of opposition, 13 percent are uncertain, and 43 percent express some degree of support. Reasons for support or opposition also exhibited variance. According to a multivariate analysis, statistically significant reasons for support included retribution, instrumentalist goals, and incapacitation; while significant reasons for opposition included morality and the belief that deterrence could be achieved by imposing sentences of life without parole.
- Document type Article
- Countries list India
- Themes list Public opinion, Public debate,
Document(s)
The Death Penalty: America’s Experience with Capital Punishment
By Ray Paternoster / Robert Brame / Oxford University Press / Sarah Bacon, on 8 September 2020
2020
Book
United States
More details See the document
This book addresses one of the most controversial issues in the criminal justice system today—the death penalty. Paternoster et al. present a balanced perspective that focuses on both the arguments for and against capital punishment. Coverage draws on legal, historical, philosophical, economic, sociological, and religious points of view.
- Document type Book
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Due Process , Public opinion, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Factsheet – Death Penalty Abolition
By European Court of Human Rights, on 8 September 2020
United Nations report
More details See the document
Court’s case-law and pending cases on abolition of the death penalty. It deals with death-row phenomenon – the risk of being stoned to death / of being sentended to death and the death penalty as result of unfair trial.
- Document type United Nations report
- Themes list Death Row Phenomenon, Stoning, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Barbados: Death Penalty Stakeholder Report for the Universal Periodic Review
By The Advocates for Human Rights, on 1 January 2017
2017
NGO report
More details See the document
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list International law, Member organizations, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Reporting on the death penalty: training resource for journalists
By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2011
2011
NGO report
More details See the document
The aim of this resource is to build and strengthen the knowledge and raise awareness of journalists on how to report on the death penalty and alternative sanctions. This training resource has been developed in conjunction with PRI’s partner, Inter Press Services (IPS).
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Public opinion, Networks,
Document(s)
The death penalty worldwide: Developments in 1999
By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2000
2000
NGO report
fresMore 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 type NGO report
- Available languages La peine de mort dans le monde: évolution en 1999LA PENA DE MUERTE EN EL MUNDO: NOTICIAS DE 1999
Document(s)
Training Resource: Reporting on the Death Penalty
on 1 January 2011
2011
NGO report
More details See the document
This resource targets journalists. The aim of this resource is to build and strengthen the knowledge and raise awareness of how to report on the death penalty and alternative sanctions. This training resource has been developed in conjunction with PRI’s partner, Inter Press Service (IPS).
- Document type NGO report
Document(s)
Abolition of the Death Penalty: China in World Perspective
By Roger Hood / City University of Hong Kong Law Review 1-21, on 1 January 2009
2009
Academic report
More details See the document
This article outlines changes that the author has observed in the debate on the death penalty.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition,
Document(s)
China: The Olympics Countdown: Repression of activists overshadows death penalty and media reforms
By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007
2007
NGO report
fresMore details See the document
Amnesty International remains deeply concerned that several senior Chinese officials continue to use ‘strike hard’ policies to constrain the legitimate activities of a range of peaceful activists, including journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders. This report updates concerns in these areas, illustrated by the experiences of several individuals who have been detained or imprisoned in violation of their fundamental human rights. The failure of the Chinese authorities to address the legal and institutional weaknesses that allow such violations to flourish continues to hamper efforts to strengthen rule of law in China.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list International law, Public opinion,
- Available languages Chine: À l'approche des Jeux olympiques, les réformes concernant la peine capitale et les medias sont occultées par la répression contre les militantsRepública Popular de China:La cuenta atrás para los Juegos Olímpicos: La represión de activistas ensombrece las reformas sobre la pena de muerte y los medios de comunicación
Document(s)
People’s Republic of China: Executed “according to law”? The death penalty in China
By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020
2020
NGO report
China
frMore details See the document
This document describes the process that someone suspected of committing a capital crime goes through under the Chinese criminal justice system, from detention through to execution. This process will be described using examples of cases researched by Amnesty International, and others monitored in the official press in China. As shown, there is potential for the violation of human rights at every stage of the criminal justice process leading to execution.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list China
- Themes list Statistics, Country/Regional profiles,
- Available languages République Populaire de Chine: Des exécutions << conformes au droit >> ? La peine de mort en Chine
Document(s)
Executing The Innocent and Support for Capital Punishment: Implications for Public Policy
By Francis T. Cullen / James D. Unnver / Criminology and Public Policy, on 1 January 2005
2005
Article
United States
More details See the document
The issue of whether innocent people have been executed is now at the center of the debate concerning the legitimacy of capital punishment. The purpose of this research was to use data collected by the Gallup Organization in 2003 to investigate whether Americans who believed that an innocent person had been executed were less likely to support capital punishment. We also explored whether the association varied by race, given that African Americans are disproportionately affected by the death penalty. Our results indicated that three-quarters of Americans believed that an innocent person had been executed for a crime they did not commit within the last five years and that this belief was associated with lower levels of support for capital punishment, especially among those who thought this sanction was applied unfairly. In addition, our analyses revealed that believing an innocent person had been executed had a stronger association with altering African American than white support for the death penalty.A key claim of death penalty advocates is that a high proportion of the public supports capital punishment. In this context, scholars opposing this sanction have understood the importance of showing that the public’s support for executing offenders is contingent and shallower than portrayed by typical opinion polls. The current research joins this effort by arguing that the prospect of executing innocents potentially impacts public support for the death penalty and, in the least, creates ideological space for a reconsideration of the legitimacy of capital punishment.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Innocence,
Document(s)
Unjust and Unwanted: Malaysia’s Mandatory Death Penalty
By Death Penalty Project, on 8 September 2020
2020
Multimedia content
Malaysia
More details See the document
Malaysia is one of only a handful of countries around the world that continues to retain a mandatory death penalty. The newly elected Malaysian government has promised to abolish mandatory death sentences and other “oppressive laws”. This short animation sheds light on what the mandatory death penalty is, what the Malaysian public think about it and why it is time to consign this abhorrent punishment to history.
- Document type Multimedia content
- Countries list Malaysia
- Themes list Public opinion, Drug Offences, Mandatory Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Race for Your Life: An Analysis of the Role of Race in Erroneous Capital Conviction
By Talia Roitberg Harmon / Criminal Justice Review, on 1 January 2004
2004
Article
United States
More details See the document
Prior research on the role of race in wrongful capital convictions has focused primarily on the race of the defendant. In contrast, this article begins with two case studies that illustrate the impact of the race of the defendant and also the race of the victim in contributing to erroneous convictions. The second section of this article identifies the race of the defendant and the victim in 82 cases where prisoners were released from death row because of doubts about their guilt and in a matched group of inmates who were executed. Through the use of three logistic regression models, the combination of the race of the defendant and the race of the victim is identified as a significant predictor of case outcome (exoneration vs. execution). The results also indicate that an indirect relationship may exist between the combination of the race of the defendant and the victim, the strength of the evidence, and case outcome.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Innocence, Discrimination,
Document(s)
Ten myths and facts about the death penalty
By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 1 January 2011
2011
Campaigning
More details See the document
Every 3 hours someone is put to death by their government. Is this justice? Watch first-hand testimonies by Reprieve lawyers and clients. Read ten hard facts about the death penalty. Decide for yourself.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Public debate, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Myth #3 – The death penalty saves money
By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 8 September 2020
2020
Academic report
More details See the document
MYTH: The death penalty saves money. It costs less to kill people than to imprison them for life. FACT:The death penalty costs millions more than a sentence of life without parole. Taxpayers’ money could be used more efficiently on crime prevention programs and police.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Sentencing Alternatives, Financial cost,
Document(s)
Myth #2 – The death penalty reduces crime
By Reprieve / Clive Stafford Smith , on 8 September 2020
Academic report
More details See the document
MYTH: The death penalty acts as a deterrent to potential criminals. FACT: The death penalty does not deter crime. It stimulates it.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Deterrence ,
Document(s)
International Views on the Death Penalty
By Death Penalty Focus, on 1 January 2011
2011
Arguments against the death penalty
More details See the document
The vast majority of countries in Western Europe, North America and South America – more than 139 nations worldwide – have abandoned capital punishment in law or in practice. This document goes through the death penalty status of countries world wide.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
Stop the Death Penalty: Worldwide Abolition Now
By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007
2007
Arguments against the death penalty
arfresMore details See the document
This video by Amnesty International talks about how the administration of the death penalty is cruel, often sought after unfair trials and how innocent people have been wrongfully convicted. Voice over by Colin Firth.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Available languages فيديو حول عقوبة الاعدام يسردها الممثل كولن فيرثDiaporama animé sur la peine de mort dans le mondeFotogalería: historias de todo el mundo sobre la pena capital
Document(s)
Myth #10 – The death penalty is not political
By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020
2020
Academic report
More details See the document
MYTH: The death penalty is not political. FACT: The death penalty is often driven by politics rather than a desire to repair social problems and bring justice.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Fair Trial,
Document(s)
Iran : 20 th Session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
By Iran Human Rights (IHR) / World Coalition Against the Death Penalty / The Advocates for Human Rights / Abdorrahman Boroumand Foundation for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran / Association for Human Rights in Kurdistan of Iran-Geneva (KMMK-G), on 1 January 2014
2014
Multimedia content
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
More details See the document
Thisreport examines the imposition of the death penalty in Iran in light of international human rightsstandards.This report will also examine and discuss the judicial process applied in casesinvolving punishment by the death penalty.
- Document type Multimedia content
- Countries list Iran (Islamic Republic of)
- Themes list Due Process , Fair Trial, International law,
Document(s)
Myth #6 – The death penalty applies to everyone equally
By Reprieve / Emmanuelle Purdon , on 8 September 2020
2020
Academic report
More details See the document
MYTH: The death penalty applies to everyone equally, regardless of race, wealth or background. FACT: People who are convicted of the same crime receive vastly different penalties, across the world and within the same country or even case.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Arbitrariness,
Document(s)
Unstacking the Deck – A Handbook for Capital Defense Attorneys on Challenging the State’s Case in Aggravation
By John H. Blume / Death Penalty Resource & Defense Center, on 8 September 2020
Academic report
United States
More details See the document
When the state decides to seek the death penalty against a criminal defendant, the cards are heavily stacked against him before the trial even starts. First, the defendant must face a jury that already assumes he is guilty simply because he has been charged with a crime. They will assume this all the more given that it is a capital case. Moreover, the jury selection process itself will produce a jury that is predisposed to vote both for guilt and for death.The purpose of this handbook is to provide some suggestions for ways to “unstack the deck” for capital defendants by challenging the state’s case in aggravation.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
Poster EN – 2021 World Day Against the Death Penalty
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 10 June 2021
2021
Campaigning
Women
aresfafrruzh-hantMore details Download [ pdf - 8373 Ko ]
Women sentenced to death: an invisible reality.
- Document type Campaigning
- Themes list Women
- Available languages 2021اليوم العالمي ضدّ عقوبة الاعدامPoster ES - 2021 Día Mundial contra la Pena de Muerte2021روز جهانی علیه مجازات مرگAffiche FR - 2021 Journée mondiale contre la peine de mortPoster RU- 2021 Всемирный день против смертной казниPoster ZH 2021- 世界反死刑日
Document(s)
Poster – 15th World Day against the Death Penalty
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, on 8 September 2020
2020
Multimedia content
enenfaruzh-hantzh-hantfresMore details Download [ jpeg - 374 Ko ]
Poster of the 15th World Day against the Death Penalty dedicated to poverty. Poverty and Justice: a Deadly Mix.
- Document type Multimedia content
- Themes list Discrimination,
- Available languages German : Poster - 15. Welttag gegen die TodesstrafeItalian : Poster - 15° Giornata mondiale contro la Pena di morteپوستر - رد روز جهانی علیه مجازات اعدام 2017плакат - Всемирный день 2017海報 - 世界反对死刑日 2017 繁體海報 - 世界反对死刑日2017 简化字Affiche Journée Mondiale 2017Cartel -15° Día mundial contra la pena de muerte
Document(s)
Beating the Death Penalty in Illinois
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty / Aurélie Plaçais, on 1 January 2011
2011
Lobbying
frMore details Download [ html - 16 Ko ]
In a video interview at the NCADP conference in Chicago, leading Illinois abolitionist Jeremy Schroeder explains how grassroots activism and political lobbying was an important factor in abolishing the death penalty in Illinois.
- Document type Lobbying
- Themes list Networks,
- Available languages Illinois : abolition, mode d'emploi
Document(s)
Deciding Death
By Corinna Barrett Lain / Duke Law Journal, on 1 January 2007
2007
Article
United States
More details See the document
When the Supreme Court is deciding death, how much does law matter? Scholars long have lamented the majoritarian nature of the Court’s Eighth Amendment “evolving standards of decency” doctrine, but their criticism misses the mark. Majoritarian doctrine does not drive the Court’s decisions in this area; majoritarian forces elsewhere do. To make my point, I first examine three sets of “evolving standards” death penalty decisions in which the Court implicitly or explicitly reversed itself, attacking the legal justification for the Court’s change of position and offering an extralegal explanation for why those cases came out the way they did. I then use political science models of Supreme Court decisionmaking to explain how broader social and political forces push the Court toward majoritarian death penalty rulings for reasons wholly independent of majoritarian death penalty doctrine. Finally, I bring the analysis full [*pg 2] circle, showing how broader sociopolitical forces even led to the development of the “evolving standards” doctrine. In the realm of death penalty decisionmaking, problematic doctrine is not to blame for majoritarian influences; rather, majoritarian influences are to blame for problematic doctrine. The real obstacle to countermajoritarian decisionmaking is not doctrine, but the inherently majoritarian tendencies of the Supreme Court itself.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
Death Penalty India Report – Volume 2
By Anup Surendranath / National Law University, New Delhi Press, on 8 September 2020
2020
NGO report
India
More details See the document
This project sought to answer questions regarding the socio-economic profile of prisoners sentenced to death in India while looking into the process of death sentencing in itself. By means of meaningful statistics and case studies, this report manages to enlighten some aspects of the death penalty in India which are generally not fully explored and triggers a sociological discussion on these thorny issues that goes beyond the legal analysis of Supreme Court judgments.Chapters:6) Experience in custody7) Trial and appeals8) Living on death row9) Seeking mercy10) ImpactLink to Volume 1: http://www.worldcoalition.org/resourcecentre/document/id/1462890615
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list India
- Themes list Discrimination, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Strengthening death penalty standards
By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2015
2015
NGO report
More details See the document
Where the death penalty is applied, international law, jurisprudence and practice require that certain minimum standards are applied. The standards include international and regional treaties that are legally binding on states that have ratified them, customary international law that is binding on all states without exception, and non-binding standards and resolutions that nonetheless command the support of the majority of states. International understanding of these minimum standards has continued to evolve in the years since they were drafted, but the documents themselves do not always keep pace. This paper brings together international, regional and national standards, the most recent understandings of relevant experts and appropriate insights from other connected disciplines. It explores possible ways in which international minimum standards could be further strengthened at this time, whether through ECOSOC, the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, regional bodies or national amendments to laws and policies. In each section, the issue and current practice is described, followed by examples of good practice or suggestions for improvement, finishing with a short list of recommendations for strengthening existing standards. These issues and recommendations are not final, but are intended to provide a point from which discussion can begin.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list International law, Legal Representation,
Document(s)
Indonesian – Laporan Global Amnesty International : hukuman mati dan eksekusi 2023
on 29 May 2024
2024
NGO report
Trend Towards Abolition
More details Download [ pdf - 897 Ko ]
Pemantauan yang dilakukan oleh Amnesty Internasional terhadap hukuman mati secara global
mencatat terdapat 1.153 eksekusi hukuman mati pada tahun 2023. Angka tersebut menunjukkan
adanya peningkatan sebanyak 31% dari 883 eksekusi pada tahun 2022. Namun, ada penurunan
yang signifikan pada angka negara yang menerapkan hukuman mati. Dari 20 negara pada 2022
menjadi hanya 16 negara di 2023
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition
Document(s)
Death by Geography: A County By County Analysis of the Road to Execution in California
By Natasha Minsker / Romy Ganschow / American Civil Liberties Union / Jeff Gillenkirk / Elise Banducci, on 1 January 2008
2008
NGO report
More details See the document
California’s death penalty is arbitary, unnecessary and a waste of critical resources. Whilst the vast majority of California’s counties have largely abandoned execution in favor of simply sentencing people to die in prison, 10 counties continue to aggressively sentence people to execution, accounting for nearly 85 percent of death sentences since 2000. California’s death penalty has become so arbitary that the county border, not the facts of the case, determines who is sentenced to execution and who is simply sentenced to die in prison. Pursuing executions provides no identifiable benefit to these counties but costs millions.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Death penalty developments in 2005
By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2006
2006
NGO report
fresMore details See the document
This document covers significant events concerning the death penalty during the year 2005. Two countries abolished the death penalty for all crimes, bringing to 86 the number of totally abolitionist countries at year end. Moratoria or suspensions of executions were being observed in several countries. At least 2,148 people were executed in 22 countries, and at least 5,186 were sentenced to death in 53 countries. Eight child offenders were executed in Iran. Other sections include significant judicial decisions; the use of the death penalty against child offenders and resumptions of executions.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Statistics,
- Available languages La peine de mort dans le monde : évolution en 2005LA PENA DE MUERTE EN EL MUNDO: NOTICIAS DEL AÑO 2005
Document(s)
Death Penalty and Mental Illness
By Amnesty International - USA, on 1 January 2013
2013
Arguments against the death penalty
esMore details See the document
The execution of those with mental illness or “the insane” is clearly prohibited by international law. Virtually every country in the world prohibits the execution of people with mental illness. This webpage explores international law and the death penalty in relation to the USA.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Mental Illness,
- Available languages La Pena de Muerte ignora las Enfermedades Mentales
Document(s)
Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics Report 2019
By NLU Delhi , on 1 January 2020
2020
Academic report
More details See the document
The ‘Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics’ attempts to create a comprehensive year-by-year documentation of movements in the death row population in India. The publication tracks important political and legal developments in the administration of the death penalty and the criminal justice system in the year 2019.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Death Penalty, Statistics,
Document(s)
The Death Penalty for Drug Offences: Foreign Nationals
By Harm Reduction International, on 1 January 2019
2019
NGO report
More details See the document
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Drug Offences, Foreign Nationals, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
People’s Republic of China: The Death Penalty Log in 2000
By Amnesty International, on 8 September 2020
2020
NGO report
China
More details See the document
The Death Penalty Log gives available details of death sentences and executions occurring in China throughout 2000.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list China
- Themes list Statistics,
Document(s)
Counter terrorism in Kazakhstan: why the death penalty is no solution
By Penal Reform International, on 1 January 2013
2013
NGO report
enMore details See the document
This report focuses on the death penalty for terrorism related offences, an issue that has exercised many countries. It looks at evolving standards and practice internationally and considers how Kazakhstan can meet its human rights obligations while countering terrorism and maintaining the security of its people.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Terrorism,
- Available languages Терроризм в Казахстане Смертная казнь не решение проблемы
Document(s)
Justice Crucified: The Death Penalty in Saudi Arabia
By Reprieve, on 1 January 2015
2015
NGO report
More details See the document
The Reprieve’s report analyses data on prisoners currently on death row in Saudi Arabia. It finds that 72 per cent of those prisoners whose alleged offences Reprieve has been able to determine were sentenced to death for non-violent crimes, including attendance at political protests and drug offences. Reprieve has also established that many prisoners estimated to have been executed in Saudi Arabia, since January 2014, had been sentenced to death for non-violent offences.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Drug Offences, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Stolen Youth. Juvenils, mass trials and the death penalty in Egypt
By Reprieve, on 1 January 2019
2019
NGO report
More details See the document
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Juveniles, Fair Trial, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
The Death Penalty in Alabama: Judge Override
By Equal Justice Initiative, on 1 January 2011
2011
NGO report
More details See the document
In Alabama, elected trial judges can override jury verdicts of life and impose death sentences. Although judges have authority to override life or death verdicts, in 92% of overrides elected judges have overruled jury verdicts of life to impose the death penalty.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Fair Trial, Arbitrariness, Sentencing Alternatives,
Document(s)
Malawi : 22nd Session of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review
By World Coalition Against the Death Penalty / The Advocates for Human Rights, on 1 January 2014
2014
Multimedia content
Malawi
More details See the document
This submission informs on Malawi’s international human rights obligations with regard to its use of the death penalty.This report will also examine and discussthe judicial process applied in cases involving punishment by the death penalty.
- Document type Multimedia content
- Countries list Malawi
- Themes list Due Process , Death Penalty,
death_penalty_research_unit_dpru
on 15 December 2023
2023
Document(s)
These families lost loved ones to violence. Now they are fighting the death penalty;
By The America Magazine , on 1 January 2017
2017
Working with...
More details See the document
- Document type Working with...
- Themes list Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
The Death Penalty in 2014: infographic
By Death Penalty Information Center, on 1 January 2014
2014
NGO report
More details See the document
DPIC’s 2014 Year-End Report. Death sentences were at a 40-year low and executions were at a 20-year low. Texas, Missouri, and Florida accounted for 80% of all the executions in the United States. There were 7 exonerations this year and it took an average of 30 years to discover their innocence.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Innocence, Statistics,
Document(s)
Choosing Mercy: A Mother of Murder Victims Pleads to End the Death Penalty
By Antoinette Bosco, on 1 January 2001
2001
Working with...
More details See the document
Written in the spirit of “Dead Man Walking,” this book by Antoinette Bosco conveys both the powerful personal experience of a mother whose son was murdered and a wealth of information about the criminal justice system in America. (Orbis Books, 2001)
- Document type Working with...
- Themes list Public opinion, Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Beyond Reason: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation
By Human Rights Watch, on 1 January 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)
The Pakistan Capital Punishment Study. A Study of the Capital Jurisprudence of the Supreme Court of Pakistan
By Reprieve / Fundation for Fundamental Rights, on 1 January 2019
2019
NGO report
More details See the document
The Pakistan Capital Punishment Study is the result of a two-year long research and analysis project undertaken by lawyers and academics at the Foundation for Fundamental Rights (‘FFR’) in Pakistan and international legal non-profit organization, Reprieve.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
The situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran : note by the Secretary-General
By United Nations, on 1 January 2011
2011
NGO report
rufrzh-hantesMore details See the document
The present report is submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 16/9, which establishes the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
- Document type NGO report
- Available languages Положение в области прав человека в Исламской Республике Иран: Записка Генерального секретаряLa situation des droits de l’homme en République islamique d’Iran: Note du Secrétaire général伊朗伊斯兰共和国的人权状况 秘书长的说明La situación de los derechos humanos en la República Islámica del Irán: Nota del Secretario General
Document(s)
Opting for Real Death Penalty Reform
By James S. Liebman / Ohio State Law Journal, on 1 January 2002
2002
Article
United States
More details See the document
The capital punishment system in the United States is broken. Studies reveal growing delays nationwide between death sentences and executions and inexcusably high rates of reversals and retrials of capital verdicts. The current system persistently malfunctions because it rewards trial actors, such as police, prosecutors, and trial judges, for imposing death sentences, but it does not force them either to avoid making mistakes or to bear the cost of mistakes that are made during the process. Nor is there any adversarial discipline imposed at the trial level because capital defendants usually receive appointed counsel who either do not have experience trying capital cases or who receive inadequate resources from the State to pay litigation expenses. Instead, the appellate system is forced to deal with large amounts of error, creating backlog and delays. This article proposes a radical trade-off for capital defendants in which they agree to give up existing post-conviction review rights in return for a real assurance of better qualified, higher quality trial counsel. This proposal will avoid the traps of window dressing reforms, save states a good bit of the expense of appellate review, and make the capital punishment system more fair, efficient, and effective.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Legal Representation,
Document(s)
The International Library of Essays on Capital Punishment, Volume 3 : Policy and Governance
By Peter Hodgkinson / Ashgate Publishing, on 8 September 2020
2020
Book
More details See the document
This volume provides analyses of a range of subjects and issues in the death penalty debate, from medicine to the media. The essays address in particular the personal complexities of those involved, a fundamental part of the subject usually overridden by the theoretical and legal aspects of the debate. The unique personal vantage offered by this volume makes it essential reading for anyone interested in going beyond the removed theoretical understanding of the death penalty, to better comprehending its fundamental humanity. Additionally, the international range of the analysis, enabling disaggregation of country specific motivations, ensures the complexities of the death penalty are also considered from a global perspective.
- Document type Book
- Themes list Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Death Penalty Cost
By Amnesty International - USA, on 8 September 2020
Arguments against the death penalty
esMore details See the document
This factsheet deals with the cost of the death penalty in the United States using figures from a study conducted by the Californian Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Networks, Financial cost,
- Available languages La Pena de Muerte Cuesta Más
Trans Rights and Death Penalty Factsheet_V1.0
on 30 June 2021
2021
Detailed Factsheet: Women and the Death Penalty
on 1 July 2021
2021
Poster EN World Day Against the Death Penalty 2021
on 9 June 2021
2021
Document(s)
No to the Death Penalty, No to Revenge
By YouTube, on 1 January 2008
2008
Working with...
More details See the document
A murder victim’s family member talks out about her opposition to the death penalty.
- Document type Working with...
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
Jeremy Irons talks about the death penalty
By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2007
2007
Arguments against the death penalty
More details See the document
This video features Jeremy Irons who speaks about the death penalty and arguements commonly made for it.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
The Death Penalty in Japan: An “Absurd” Punishment
By Joachim Herrmann / Brooklyn Law Review, on 8 September 2020
2020
Article
Japan
More details See the document
This article outlines some of the main arguments against the death penalty in Japan.
- Document type Article
- Countries list Japan
Document(s)
Execution Watch: Mitt Romney’s ‘Foolproof’ Death Penalty Act and the Politics of Capital Punishment
By Russell G. Murphy / Suffolk University Law Review, on 8 September 2020
Article
United States
More details See the document
This article presents a legal and political analysis of the 2003 – 2005 effort of Governor Mitt Romney to make the death penalty available as a sentencing option in Massachusetts.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Public debate,
Document(s)
Perspectives on Capital Punishment in America
By CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform / Charles E. MacLean, on 1 January 2013
2013
Book
United States
More details See the document
Searching inquiry into the contours of capital punishment in America. Containing over 1300 footnotes, the chapters by ten young scholars explore the sometimes-ignored fine details of the death penalty. Topics include the impropriety of applying the death penalty to felony murder, the implications of death row exonerations and their impact on access to post-conviction DNA testing, media impacts on capital cases, death qualification of capital juries and its impact on the right of prospective capital jurors to enjoy First Amendment protection of the free exercise of their religions, the fiscal conservative and social conservative argument favoring abolition of the death penalty, the need for a heightened standard of proof – greater than beyond a reasonable doubt – at the penalty phase of capital trials, federal habeas corpus protections for state-sentenced capital offenders and the constitutionality of limits on “actual innocence” equitable tolling, tips and techniques for capital defense counsel representing defendants who were acutely substance-impaired at the time of the crime or have a history of chronic substance abuse or chemical dependency, the impropriety of allowing counsel to argue fiscal matters to the jury, such as that either execution or life imprisonment is the “cheapest” option for society, and the role the death penalty should and does play within the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
- Document type Book
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Due Process ,
Document(s)
China’s death penalty: reforms on capital punishment
By Hong Lu / East Asian Institute (EAI), on 8 September 2020
2020
Article
China
More details See the document
This paper covers the death penalty situation in China, which is, according to the author, unlikely to abolish the death penalty in the near future. China topped the world in the imposition of the death penalty in 2008, while wrongful convictions and erroneous executions have been found, despite China’s official policy to prevent excessive executions.
- Document type Article
- Countries list China
- Themes list Juveniles, Capital offences, Legal Representation, Statistics, Country/Regional profiles,
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)
Too Broken to Fix: Part II – An In-depth Look at America’s Outlier Death Penalty Counties
By Fair Punishment Project, on 8 September 2020
2020
NGO report
United States
More details See the document
The trends are clear. In 2015, juries returned the fewest number of new death sentences—49—since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.Of the 3,143 county or county equivalents in the United States, only 16—or one half of one percent—imposed five or more death sentences between 2010 and 2015.This report takes a close look at how capital punishment operates on the ground in half of these active death-sentencing counties. In Part II, we highlight Dallas (TX), Jefferson(AL), San Bernardino (CA), Los Angeles (CA), Orange (CA), Miami-Dade (FL),Hillsborough (FL), and Pinellas (FL) counties.Our review of these counties, like the places profiled in Part I, reveals thatthese counties frequently share at least three systemic deficiencies: a history ofoverzealous prosecutions, inadequate defense lawyering, and a pattern of racialbias and exclusion. These structural failings regularly produce two types of unjustoutcomes which disproportionately impact people of color: the wrongful convictionof innocent people, and the excessive punishment of persons who are young or sufferfrom severe mental illnesses, brain damage, trauma, and intellectual disabilities.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Moratorium on the use of death penalty
By United Nations, on 1 January 2018
2018
United Nations report
arrufrzh-hantesMore details See the document
Moratorium on the use of death penalty (2018)
- Document type United Nations report
- Themes list Moratorium , Death Penalty,
- Available languages وقف العمح فعقوفة الإعداМораторий на применение смертной казниMoratoire sur l'application de la peine de mort暂停使用死刑Moratoria del uso de la pena de muerte
Document(s)
Is Public Opinion a Justifiable Reason Not to Abolish the Death Penalty? A Comparative Analysis of Surveys of Eight Countries
By Roger Hood / Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law, on 1 January 2018
Article
More details See the document
Roger Hood, “Is Public Opinion a Justifiable Reason Not to Abolish the Death Penalty? A Comparative Analysis of Surveys of Eight Countries”, 23 Berkeley J. Crim. L. 218 (2018)
- Document type Article
- Themes list Public opinion, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Digital Proceedings Oslo 2016 – 6th World congress against the death penalty
By Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), on 8 September 2020
2020
Multimedia content
frMore details See the document
This publication brings together the contributions of experts and discussions among participants at the 6th World Congress against the Death Penalty held in Oslo, Norway, in June 2016.
- Document type Multimedia content
- Available languages Actes numériques Oslo 2016 - 6ème Congrès mondial contre la peine de mort
Document(s)
Religious Neutrality and the Death Penalty
By Arnold H. Loewy / William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 9(1), 191-200, on 1 January 2000
2000
Article
United States
More details See the document
Cases involving the Establishment of Religion Clause predominantly emphasize religious neutrality. Believing this to be normatively correct, Professor Loewy argues for religious neutrality in capital punishment cases. In accordance therewith, he would uphold religious peremptory challenges where a juror’s religious belief is related to her death penalty perspective. Professor Loewy agrees with the courts’general willingness to disallow religion as an aggravating factor while allowing it as a mitigating factor. This dichotomy comports with the neutralityp rinciple because aggravatingfa ctors, in general,a re limited whereas mitigating factors are unlimited.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Religion ,
Document(s)
The right to life: A guide to the implementation of Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights
By Council of Europe / Douwe Korff / Directorate General of Human Rights, on 1 January 2006
2006
Working with...
More details See the document
This Handbook deals with the right to life, as guaranteed byArticle 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, and with the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights under that article.
- Document type Working with...
- Themes list International law,
Member(s)
Syndicat national des agents de la formation et de l’éducation du Niger (SYNAFEN)
on 30 April 2020
SYNAFEN is the national labour union for training and education professionals in Niger. Its main mission is to defend its members’ material and moral interests. However, it is also engaged in the promotion of human rights and democracy by educational means. In 2009, on the occasion of the 7th World Day Against the Death Penalty, […]
2020
Niger
Document(s)
Death Penalty for Female Offenders
By Victor Streib / Ohio Northern University, on 1 January 2009
2009
Article
United States
More details See the document
The data herein are updated as often and as quickly as possible, with the last date of entry noted on the cover page. However, given the difficulty of gathering complete information from all jurisdictions and as soon as cases develop, these reports may under-report the number of female offenders under death sentences. The subjects of these reports are female offenders sentenced to death. They are not all referred to as women, since some were as young as age fifteen at the time of their crimes. However, no such very young female offenders are currently under death sentences. —- See bottom left hand corner of web page.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Women,
Document(s)
Death Penalty and Arbitrariness
By Amnesty International - USA, on 8 September 2020
2020
Arguments against the death penalty
More details See the document
This sheet details the factors which contribute to the arbitrariness of the death penalty in the USA.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Arbitrariness,
Leaflet EN – 2021 World Day Against the Death Penalty
on 23 June 2021
2021
Document(s)
Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics Report 2020
By Project 39A, on 1 January 2020
2020
Academic report
India
More details See the document
The ‘Death Penalty in India: Annual Statistics’ attempts to create a comprehensive year-by-year documentation of movements in the death row population in India. The publication tracks important political and legal developments in the administration of the death penalty and the criminal justice system in the year 2020.
- Document type Academic report
- Countries list India
Document(s)
Anti-death penalty group launches handbook
By Manila Bulletin, on 1 January 2018
2018
Article
Philippines
More details See the document
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, together with the Free Legal Assistance Group, the Commission on Human Rights, and other members of the Anti-Death Penalty Task Force, have launched a handbook opposing the capital punishment and the drug war.
- Document type Article
- Countries list Philippines
- Themes list Drug Offences, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
A Summary Report on Public Support for the Death Penalty in Ghana
By University of Cambridge / Peter Atupare Atudiwe, on 1 January 2014
2014
Academic report
More details See the document
This report provides evidence on public attitudes to the death penalty in Ghana, withan empirical focus on Accra.
- Document type Academic report
- Themes list Public opinion, Statistics,
Document(s)
Death Penalty Information Pack
By Penal Reform International , on 1 January 2014
NGO report
More details See the document
PRI information pack on the state of the death penalty in 2014: international trends toward abolition; moratorium; the death penalty for the “most serious crimes”; right to a fair trial; mandatory death penalty; conditions of imprisonment; clemency; execution; transparency; deterrence; public opinion; victims’ rights.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Networks,
Document(s)
The Ride: A Shocking Murder and a Bereaved Father’s Journey from Rage to Redemption
By Brian MacQuarrie , on 1 January 2012
2012
Arguments against the death penalty
More details See the document
The Ride tells the true story of one of the most gruesome crimes in recent memory—the 1997 abduction and murder of ten-year-old Massachusetts resident Jeffrey Curley—and how his father, Bob Curley, managed to heal the deep wounds of rage and emerge to become an outspoken critic of the death penalty.In vivid, compelling prose, Boston Globe reporter Brian MacQuarrie recounts the brutal crime that shocked New England and chronicles what transpires after Jeffrey’s death, which is nearly as shocking as the crime itself. At the heart of this deeply touching story is the way Bob Curley summons the almost superhuman courage to reject the death penalty. In tracing his personal journey, The Ride presents an appealing everyman hero forced into the spotlight by unfathomable circumstances, and compelled to confront the consequences of his fury.
- Document type Arguments against the death penalty
- Themes list Public opinion, Murder Victims' Families, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Ghana: Briefing on death penalty
By Amnesty International, on 1 January 2000
2000
NGO report
fresMore 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 type NGO report
- Themes list Country/Regional profiles,
- Available languages GHANA : Rapport sur la peine de mortGHANA : Informe sobre la pena de muerte
Document(s)
Press article: reporting the death penalty
By Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), on 1 January 2017
2017
NGO report
More details See the document
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Public debate, Member organizations, Death Penalty,
Document(s)
Drugs and the Death Penalty
By Patrick Gallahue / Open Society Foundations, on 1 January 2015
2015
NGO report
More details See the document
Experience has proved that for certain governments it is not easy to balance international drug laws with human rights, public health, alternatives to incarceration, and experimentation with regulation.This Report intends to provide a primer on why governments must not turn a blind eye to pressing human rights and public health impacts of current drug policies.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Drug Offences,
Document(s)
Briefing Paper on the death penalty in Middle East & North Africa
By Penal Reform International, on 8 September 2020
2020
Academic report
More details See the document
NGO coalition report submitted to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights
- Document type Academic report
Document(s)
The Failure of Mitigation?
By Robert J. Smith / Hastings Law Journal, on 1 January 2014
2014
Article
United States
More details See the document
A vast literature details the crimes that condemned inmates commit, but very little is known about the social histories of these capital offenders. For example, how many offenders possessed mitigating characteristics that demonstrate intellectual or psychological deficits comparable to those shared by classes of offenders categorically excluded from capital punishment? Did these executed offenders suffer from intellectual disability, youthfulness, mental illness, or childhood trauma? The problem with this state of affairs is that the personal characteristics of the defendant can render the death penalty an excessive punishment regardless of the characteristics of the crime. This Article begins to fill the mitigation knowledge gap by describing the social histories of the last hundred offenders executed in America. Scouring state and federal court records, this Article documents the presence of significant mitigation evidence for eighty-seven percent of executed offenders. Though only a first step, our findings suggest the failure of the Supreme Court’s mitigation project to ensure the only offenders subjected to a death sentence are those with “a consciousness materially more depraved” than that of the typical murderer. Indeed, the inverse appears to be true: the vast majority of executed offenders possess significant functional deficits that rival — and perhaps outpace — those associated with intellectual impairment and juvenile status; defendants that the Court has categorically excluded from death eligibility.
- Document type Article
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Mental Illness, Arbitrariness, Intellectual Disability,
Document(s)
Too Broken to Fix: Part I – An In-depth Look at America’s Outlier Death Penalty Counties
By Fair Punishment Project, on 8 September 2020
2020
NGO report
United States
More details See the document
The trends are clear. In 2015, juries returned the fewest number of new death sentences—49—since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.Of the 3,143 county or county equivalents in the United States, only 16—or one half of one percent—imposed five or more death sentences between 2010 and 2015.This report takes a close look at how capital punishment operates on the ground in half of these active death-sentencing counties. In this first report, we dig deep into Caddo, Clark, Duval, Harris, Maricopa, Mobile, Kern, and Riverside counties. Our review reveals that these counties frequently share at least three systemic deficiencies: a history of overzealous prosecutions, inadequate defense lawyering, and a pattern of racial bias and exclusion. These structural failings regularly produce two types of unjust outcomes which disproportionately impact people of color: the wrongful conviction of innocent people, and the excessive punishment of persons who are young or suffer from severe mental illnesses, brain damage, trauma, and intellectual disabilities.
- Document type NGO report
- Countries list United States
- Themes list Trend Towards Abolition, Country/Regional profiles,
Document(s)
Death Row’s Children: Pakistan’s Unlawful Executions of Juvenile Offenders
By Justice Project Pakistan, on 1 January 2017
2017
NGO report
More details See the document
On 16 December 2014, the Government of Pakistan lifted a six-year de facto moratorium on the death penalty. Whilst the Government claims that the lifting of the moratorium is designed to curb terrorism, an analysis of the 423 executions that have taken place till February 2017 reveals that the death penalty has disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable of all populations including juvenile offenders. Even though Pakistan’s international obligations and domestic laws prohibit sentencing juvenile offenders to death, at least 6 have been executed in the past two years.Through this report, the Justice Project Pakistan highlights the fundamental weaknesses under Pakistan’s juvenile justice system that lead to the unlawful and arbitrary implementation of the death penalty against juvenile offenders.
- Document type NGO report
- Themes list Juveniles, Fair Trial, International law, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment and Punishment, Death Penalty, Country/Regional profiles,
World coalition against the death penalty – Newsletter n°114
on 20 November 2020
2020
World coalition against the death penalty – Newsletter n°113
on 20 November 2020
World coalition against the death penalty – Newsletter n°117
on 20 November 2020
World coalition against the death penalty – Newsletter n°116
on 20 November 2020
World coalition against the death penalty – Newsletter n°115
on 20 November 2020