Publications & Testimony
Testimony and Statements on the Death Penalty
FROM DPIC
For testimony by former Executive Director Robert Dunham and former Executive Director Richard C. Dieter, please visit our page DPIC Testimony.
FROM RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND ORGANIZATIONS
- News Brief: Pope Francis Calls for Prayer to Abolish the Death Penalty (September 1, 2022)
- Jewish Congregation Renews Request for Department of Justice to Drop Death Penalty in Tree of Life Synagogue Killings (June 24, 2021)
- Orthodox Church Patriarch Calls Death Penalty Incompatible with Christian Beliefs (October 20, 2020)
- Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — Statement on the Federal Death Penalty (August 5, 2019)
- Louisiana Christian Faith Leaders Call for State to Abolish Death Penalty (April 25, 2019)
- Pittsburgh Rabbi’s Wife Opposes Death Penalty for Tree of Life Synagogue Killings (March 18, 2019)
- Orthodox Jewish Organization Calls for an End to Capital Punishment in the U.S. | Death Penalty Information Center (February 17, 2016)
- Baptist Theologian Says Death Penalty Does Not Fit With Christian Theology (March 8, 2016)
- Civil and Human Rights: Death Penalty — Church & Society, The United Methodist Church
- Religious Views: Over 150 Catholic Theologians Call for Repeal of the Death Penalty (September 27, 2011)
- Power Over Life and Death — The Power to Save a Life (January 15, 2005)
- Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice (November 2000)
- The Challenge of Holiness: A Sermon on the Death Penalty (January 10, 2000)
- General Assembly of the Texas Conference of Churches — Resolution Opposing the Death Penalty (February 24, 1998)
- Statement by Catholic Bishops of Texas on Capital Punishment (October 20, 1997)
- Catholic Church Expresses Strong Opposition to Capital Punishment in Catechism (September 9, 1997)
- Catholic Bishops of Iowa Issue Statement on Death Penalty (February 4, 1998)
- To End the Death Penalty: A Report of the National Jewish/Catholic Consultation
- Transcript of Dr. Pat Robertson’s Speech on the Role of Religion and the Death Penalty at The College of William and Mary
- Collection of Official Catholic Statements on the Death Penalty (1980)
FROM THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
- UN experts call for universal abolition of the death penalty | OHCHR (October 9, 2023)
- Zambia Becomes 25th Sub-Saharan African Nation to Abolish Death Penalty (December 23, 2022)
- Belgium Wants a World Without the Death Penalty (October 20, 2022)
- As France Prepares to Assume Presidency of European Union, Emmanuel Macron Announces Initiative for Worldwide Abolition of Death Penalty (October 11, 2021)
- U.N. Secretary-General, European Union Ambassador Call for Abolition of “Barbaric” Death Penalty (October 11, 2017)
- European Union Calls for Abolition of Capital Punishment as World Coalition Hosts International Death Penalty Conference (June 27, 2017)
- U.N. Investigator Talks About the Future of Solitary and the Death Penalty (November 7, 2016)
- World Congress Against the Death Penalty Renews Call for Global Moratorium, Pope Sends Message of Support (June 27, 2016)
- Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the 400th execution in Texas from the Council of the European Union (August 21, 2007)
- Resolution Supporting Worldwide Moratorium on Executions from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (April 1999)
- Mary Robinson, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights — Message to the Press Conference organized by the Death Penalty Information Center for the release of the report, “International Perspectives on the Death Penalty” (October 12, 1999)
- Status of the International Covenants on Human Rights from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (April 1998)
FROM ADVOCACY GROUPS
- Advocacy Group Tells Supreme Court that Negative Stereotypes Distort Perception that Latinos in Death-Penalty Cases Pose Future Danger to Society (April 15, 2022)
- Disability Rights Groups, Legal Experts, and Conservative Advocates Urge Supreme Court to Strike Down Georgia’s Uniquely Harsh Proof Requirements in Death-Penalty Intellectual Disabilities Cases (January 11, 2022)
- NAACP Reaffirms Its Support of Abolishing the Death Penalty (2022)
- More Than 80 Civil Rights and Advocacy Organizations Urge President Biden to End Federal Executions | Death Penalty Information Center (February 9, 2021)
- More Than 250 Conservative Leaders Join Call to End Death Penalty (October 29, 2019)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: The Death Penalty
- Florida League of Women Voters Calls for Halt to Executions (May 28, 2007)
- Victims Organizations Issue Joint Statement for National Victims’ Rights Week (April 19, 2007)
FROM JUDGES, LEGISLATORS, AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
- Republican-led Oklahoma committee considers pause on executions amid death case scrutiny (October 5, 2023)
- Former Pro-Death Penalty District Attorney Explains Why He Now Supports Abolition, and Fears Political Promises to Expand the Use of the Death Penalty (August 20, 2023)
- Pressley, Durbin Reintroduce Bill to End the Federal Death Penalty (July 13, 2023)
- The Lancet Editorial: Physician Involvement in Executions Violates Medical Ethics | Death Penalty Information Center (May 20, 2023)
- APA calls for extending ineligibility for the death penalty to adolescent offenders younger than age 21 (August 4, 2022)
- Why some Republicans are turning against the death penalty | Ron Ferguson | Ohio House of Representatives (March 8, 2022)
- Eight years on Texas’ highest criminal court turned Elsa Alcala into a death penalty skeptic. How will the court change without her? (January 26, 2019)
- AMA to Supreme Court: Doctor participation in executions unethical (August 22, 2018)
- Former Governor Bill Richardson: Death Penalty Is Bad for Business, Out of Step With World’s Views (June 16, 2017)
- Capital Punishment and Nurses’ Participation in Capital Punishment (2016)
- Former Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro Says Death Penalty Unfixable, “Not Worth It Any More” (September 12, 2016)
- Resolution Supporting Repeal of the Death Penalty, National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (August 11, 2016)
- Retired Police Captain Says Repealing Death Penalty Is “Smart on Crime” (November 24, 2014)
- Resolution Supporting Abolition of the Death Penalty, Natl. Assoc. of Black Psychologists (2012)
- The Road to Justice and Peace by New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak (February 1, 2009)
- Statement On The Federal Death Penalty System by Senator Feingold (June 7, 2001)
- Statement on the Need for a Federal Moratorium on the Death Penalty Senator Feingold (October 29, 2000)
- Death Penalty: The Torah and Today (August 23, 2000)
- Press Release for Senator Russ Feingold’s Introduction of Senate’s First Death Penalty Moratorium Bill (April 20, 2000)
- Amnesty International Southern Regional Conference: Orlando, Florida Remarks by Former Florida Chief Justice Gerald Kogan (October 23, 1999)
- American Bar Association Resolution on the Death Penalty (February 3, 1997)
FROM MURDER VICTIMS’ FAMILY MEMBERS
Items: 181 — 190
Nov 06, 2025
Facts About the Death Penalty: Execution of Prisoners with Severe Mental Illness
In 2002, a Gallup poll found that 75% of Americans opposed executing individuals who have severe mental illnesses. Many people believe that the U.S. does not execute people who suffer from serious mental illness. This is only partially true. In fact, the Constitution bars the execution only of people who are legally deemed “insane” or mentally incompetent. But the legal standard for demonstrating mental incompetence is high and exemptions from execution for mental incompetence are rare. Given…
Read MoreNov 05, 2025
Facts About the Death Penalty: New Public Opinion Poll Confirms Growing Disapproval of Death Penalty
During election cycles, it is not uncommon to see some politicians and elected officials talking more about the death penalty than usual – often in an attempt to bolster their “tough on crime” credentials. This phenomenon is based on the outdated assumption that use of capital punishment is a popular way of addressing violent crime. The data show otherwise. An October 2025 Gallup poll confirms a thirty-year trend: every year since 1994, the death penalty has become less popular among…
Read More
Nov 04, 2025
Veterans in the Spotlight: In Service and in Struggle — The Story of One Veteran on Death Row
On Veterans Day, the Death Penalty Information Center will release a new report about veterans and the death penalty, exploring the lasting effects of military service and explaining why military experiences matter when veterans interact with the legal system. This article tells the story of Navy veteran David Hosier who was sentenced to death without a jury ever learning about his mental health struggles, honorable military service, and childhood tragedy. David Hosier’s life was shaped by his…
Read More
Nov 03, 2025
New Documents Reveal Texas Has Spent More Than $775,000 on Lethal Injection Drugs Since October 2024 — But Many Other Details Remain Secret
Documents reviewed by NBC News in response to a public records request reveal that since October 2024 Texas has spent more than $775,000 to acquire pentobarbital, the drug used in the state’s lethal injection execution protocol. During the same time frame, the state has carried out 6 executions. The records show that in September 2024, the state obtained 20 one-gram vials of pentobarbital and an additional eight 2.5‑gram vials in February 2025. Per the state’s protocol, these amounts are enough…
Read More
Oct 31, 2025
Article of Interest: New Report Highlights How De Facto Abolition Status Hides the “Human, Political and Legal Effects” of Retaining Death Penalty Laws
A new report published on the 40th anniversary of the United Nation’s creation of the ‘abolitionist de facto’ (ADF) category, Between Retention and Abolition: Making Sense of a Death Penalty Without Executions, examines the legal, political, and symbolic role of the death penalty in countries that retain the death penalty but have either not carried out an execution in 10 years or have established an official moratorium. Authored by researchers at UK-based The Death Penalty Project and The…
Read MoreOct 30, 2025
Low Death Sentencing, Lack of Deterrence, and High Costs Raise Questions Over Capital Punishment in Indiana
Indiana’s seemingly paradoxical resumption of executions, with three over the last year, is drawing scrutiny from many corners of the state. Governor Mike Braun, legislators from both political parties, public defenders and even prosecutors have raised questions about the costs of prosecuting capital cases and obtaining drugs for executions; the failure of capital punishment to deter crime; and the increasing reluctance of Indiana juries to sentence defendants to death in the rare cases in…
Read MoreOct 28, 2025
Veterans in the Spotlight: The Unravelling of the Lives of Two Vietnam Veterans
On Veterans Day, the Death Penalty Information Center will release a new report about veterans and the death penalty, exploring the lasting effects of military service and explaining why military experiences matter when veterans interact with the legal system. This article takes a moment to reflect on* *Battle Scars* *— DPI’s first pathbreaking report about veterans and the death penalty released a decade ago — and two of the powerful individual stories of…
Read MoreOct 27, 2025
Alabama Execution Witnesses Report “Violent Thrashing” of Prisoner and More Than 225 “Agonized Breaths” in Nitrogen Gas Execution
On October 23, 2025, Alabama executed Anthony Boyd, despite his unwavering claim of innocence and a fiery dissent authored by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, renewing the serious concerns that have been consistently raised about the state’s use of nitrogen gas. Justice Sotomayor, joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, dissented from the Court’s October 23, 2025, denial of a stay of execution, writing that Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas “violates the Constitution by inflicting…
Read MoreOct 23, 2025
Federal Judiciary Budget Crisis and Government Shutdown Ends Funding for Indigent Defendants, Raising Serious Constitutional Concerns
On October 17, 2025, the federal judiciary announced that starting on October 20, the branch would no longer have the funds needed to “sustain full, paid operations.” This latest development is a direct result of the federal government shutdown that began on October 1. Until funding is restored, federal judges will continue their bench duties, but court staff may only perform “activities” necessary for constitutional functions — all without pay. The current funding crisis compounds an already…
Read MoreOct 22, 2025
Veterans in the Spotlight: One Man’s Struggle with Vietnam-Induced PTSD
On Veterans Day, the Death Penalty Information Center will release a new report about veterans and the death penalty, exploring the lasting effects of military service and explaining why military experiences matter when veterans interact with the legal system. This article shares the story of one death-sentenced veteran, Frederick Mendoza. Frederick Mendoza enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1967 as a basic rifleman and served over 18 months in Vietnam. He was on the front lines of some of the…
Read More