Moving Away From The Death Penalty: Arguments, Trends And Perspectives

Between 2012 and 2015 OHCHR organised in New York a series of knowledge events on moving away from the death penalty. These events brought together representatives of Member States, academia and civil society, as well as legal experts and victims of wrongful convictions. This publication consists of a series of articles from the panellists, and reflects a diversity of geographic experiences - Africa, Americas and the Caribbean, Asia and Europe, with articles exploring compelling arguments relevant in deciding in favour of moving away from the death penalty. Despite the greatest judicial efforts, wrongful convictions are simply not avoidable. Capital punishment is too final and irrevocable. It prohibits the correction of mistakes by the justice system and leaves no room for human error, with the gravest of consequences. There is no evidence of a deterrent effect of the death penalty. Statistics from countries that have abolished the death penalty indicate no increase in serious crime. The death penalty is not imposed in a just and equal way. Those sacrificed on the altar of retributive justice are almost always those who are vulnerable because of their poverty, minority status or mental disability. Not all victims and their family members support the death penalty. And even for those who seek it, long delays and the small percentage of executions actually carried out often cause frustration and delay closure. Furthermore, as long as the death penalty exists, it can be misused, to target particular social groups or political opponents.