President Joe Biden is the first sitting U.S. president to publicly oppose capital punishment — a sharp contrast against his predecessor, President Trump, whose administration carried out on an unprecedented execution spree over his last…
March 24, 2021 | Virginia became the 23rd U.S. state to abolish capital punishment after Governor Ralph Northam signed bipartisan death penalty repeal legislation into law. The commonwealth is the fourth state in as many years…
On Feb. 18, 2021 the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) released a special report analyzing 185 death penalty cases that resulted in exonerations of people wrongfully sentenced to death. The report concludes that the majority of wrongful…
The early days of 2021 were marred by three federal executions in a single week. It was a tragic end to the Trump administration’s unprecedented spree of killings which took the lives of twelve men and one…
When it comes to use of the death penalty, 2020 was a truly aberrational year according to a new report released on Dec. 16 by the Death Penalty Information Center. Following a 17-year hiatus from federal…
(November 23, 2020) The federal government’s six-month execution spree constitutes a shameful chapter in U.S. history in which the current administration has demonstrated a relentless disregard for the sanctity of human life. Eight men have…
Every October 10th, the global abolition community commemorates the World Day Against the Death Penalty and raises awareness on behalf of those facing execution worldwide. Each year highlights a certain theme: the focus for 2020 is…
Oct. 5, 2020 In “Fratelli Tutti,” the latest papal encyclical released by Pope Francis on the topic of “fraternity and social friendship,” the Holy Father unequivocally reaffirms the inadmissibility of capital punishment in the eyes…
Sept. 30, 2020 Earlier this month, the Death Penalty Information Center released a highly-anticipated report on race and the United States death penalty. The 88-page document meticulously parses out the historical role of capital punishment in…
Sept. 25, 2020 On Sept. 23, in the hours between green-lighting two federal executions, Attorney General William Barr, a Catholic, received an award from an independent entity known as the “National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.” The…