About Us

Death Penalty Information Center

1701 K Street NW, Suite 750 | Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202-289-2275
Email: dpic@deathpenaltyinfo.org
*Please direct media inquiries to 202-289-4022
 

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) is a national non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the media, policymakers, and the general public with data and analysis on issues concerning capital punishment and the people it affects. DPI does not take a position on the death penalty itself but is critical of problems in its application.

Founded in 1990, DPI promotes insightful discourse on the death penalty by curating and presenting expansive, authoritative data from credible sources and offering clear, trustworthy, and timely information and research about the history and current application of the death penalty. DPI produces groundbreaking reports on issues such as arbitrariness, costs, innocence, and racial disparities. DPI also releases an annual year-end report highlighting significant developments and trends. A wide variety of free online resources are available on DPI’s award-winning website, including searchable databases; data visualizations; educational curricula; and podcast series, Discussions with DPIC, which explores diverse viewpoints and experiences related to capital punishment. 

DPI is funded through the generosity of individual donors and foundations, including the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center; the Fund for Nonviolence; M. Quinn Delaney; and the Tides Foundation. Read more about DPI’s Staff and Board of Directors here. If you would like to support DPI’s work, please donate here.

DPI Honors and Awards

The U.S. Library of Congress selected DPI’s website for inclusion in its digital archives.
 

The Giving Library included DPI on its website that helps donors connect with non-profits. Watch this video to learn more about DPI’s background and mission.

The Death Penalty Information Center was ranked among the Top Criminal Justice Nonprofits by Philanthropedia in 2011. An expert review offered the following assessment of DPI:
 

“The Death Penalty Information Center is the primary information and communications vehicle to educate the public and shape the national conversation about the death penalty in the U.S. DPIC’s reports and research reach millions of people through the media. The DPIC opens the public’s eyes to the incredible flaws that underpin America’s death penalty.”

The Death Penalty Information Center website received a 5-star educational website rating from MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching). MERLOT is a program of the California State University, in partnership with higher education institutions, professional societies, and industry.