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
Latest
Oct 02, 2025
Pope Leo XIV Calls Support for the Death Penalty ‘Not Really Pro-Life’
In comments to reporters on September 30, 2025, Pope Leo XIV said that supporting capital punishment was inconsistent with being pro-life. The Pope was responding to questions about Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich’s plan to honor Senator Dick Durbin for his work on immigrant human rights issues. The announcement drew criticism from several American bishops who objected based on Sen. Durbin’s support for legalized abortion. “Someone who says,‘I’m against abortion’ but…
Read MoreOct 01, 2025
North Carolina Legislature Passes Sweeping Criminal Law Legislation in Effort to Restart Executions
On September 23, 2025, North Carolina lawmakers approved and forwarded to Governor Josh Stein for signature House Bill 307 — also known as“Iryna’s Law” — which proposes sweeping changes to the state’s criminal laws. HB 307 imposes stricter pretrial release conditions, requires involuntary mental health evaluations for defendants under certain circumstances, shortens the timeline for capital case appeals, and provides an alternative to the current method of…
Read MoreSep 25, 2025
Iran Hits 1000 Execution Mark, Highest Total in Three Decades
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) has reported that at least 1000 people have been executed in Iran between January 1 and September 23, 2025 — a thirty year high. This is the fifth consecutive year that Iran has experienced an increase in executions, with the biggest year-over-year increase (43%) occurring in 2023, in the aftermath of the“Women, Life, Freedom” nationwide protests. Most executions continue to be carried out for offenses that do not meet the…
Read MoreSep 24, 2025
Mangione’s Counsel Challenge Constitutionality of Federal Death Penalty as Arbitrary
In a motion filed September 20, 2025, attorneys for Luigi Mangione, indicted in the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, have filed a broad challenge to the constitutionality of the federal death penalty, arguing that it is applied arbitrarily, in violation of Fifth Amendment’s due process protections and the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishments. They are asking the United States District Court in the Southern District…
Read MoreSep 12, 2025
30 Years Ago, South Africa Abolished the Death Penalty to Prioritize Life and Dignity
30 years ago, the newly formed Constitutional Court of South Africa issued a landmark decision abolishing the death penalty and prioritizing the core constitutional rights to life and dignity above all else. Published on June 6, 1995, the Court’s opinion in S v. Makwanyane drew on international legal frameworks, as well as death penalty debates in other countries, such as the United States. The Court weighed inherent issues in the application of the death…
Read MoreSep 08, 2025
DPI Analysis: Death Warrants Under a Spotlight
40 active death warrants have been issued in the United States thus far in 2025 — more than a third of them were issued by one individual, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in a process cloaked in secrecy. The only two states that place authority solely in the hands of the governor to issue an execution warrant are Florida, which has executed more individuals in 2025 than any other state, and Pennsylvania, which has not executed anyone in over 25 years and where a…
Read MoreAug 28, 2025
Kentucky Governor Cites Constitutional Concerns with Execution Protocol and Drug Acquisition Issues in Refusal to Set Execution Date
This week we are featuring some articles from the first part of 2025 that we think are worth another look. We’ll be back with new articles next week. This article originally ran on February 11, 2025. In June 2025, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman requested that Governor Andy Beshear set an execution date for death row prisoner Ralph Baze. In a late June 2025 reply, Gov. Beshear declined to do so because of an April 2025 Franklin County Circuit Court ruling that…
Read MoreAug 27, 2025
Mid-Year Review 2025: New Death Sentences Remain Low Amidst Increase in Executions
This week we are featuring some articles from the first part of 2025 that we think are worth another look. We’ll be back with new articles next week. This article originally ran on July 7, 2025. At the midpoint of 2025, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) offers this detailed analysis of the key facts and themes emerging in the use of the death penalty across the U.S. For more than 30 years, DPI has been the preeminent national resource for timely and trustworthy…
Read MoreAug 26, 2025
DPI Report Examines the Legacy of Roper v. Simmons and Its Implications for 18- to 20-Year-Olds in Death Penalty Cases
This week we are featuring some articles from the first part of 2025 that we think are worth another look. We’ll be back with new articles next week. This article was originally posted on April 30, 2025. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision ending the juvenile death penalty, the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) today released a new report: Immature Minds in a“Maturing Society”: Roper v. Simmons at 20, detailing…
Read MoreAug 25, 2025
State Spotlight: California Death Row Shrinks Sharply in 2024, Driven by the Resentencing of At Least 45 People to Life Sentences or Less
This week we are featuring some articles from the first part of 2025 that we think are worth another look. We’ll be back with new articles next week. This article originally ran on February 11, 2025. When California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a moratorium on executions in 2019, he said that the state’s“death penalty system has been, by all measures, a failure.” He explained that the death penalty“has discriminated against defendants who are mentally ill,…
Read More