World Death Penalty Resources

Are you interested in where and how the death penalty is applied throughout the world and researching the death penalty as a foreign or comparative law topic?  A goldmine of country-by-country information--statistical data, background, and legal analysis--is available at the Death Penalty Worldwide website and in its Death Penalty Database.  Created by Professor Sandra Babcock, Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Cornell University Law School, in partnership with the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, the database is searchable by keyword and country. Searches can be further filtered by items such as crimes punishable by the death penalty, methods of execution, and treaties to which the country is a party.  Another good source of recent statistical information is Amnesty International's report, "Death Sentences and Executions, 2013," which includes a comparative international map. To find additional information and suggested sources for the criminal law and death penalty of particular countries, search for "death penalty" at the Foreign Law Research page of New York University's GlobaLex site. 

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Death Penalty Developments

In the state of California, Presidential election night 2012 was also about crime and punishment. You may be aware that California voters approved Proposition 36, to revise that state's well known "Three Strikes" law [California Penal Code Sec. 667] to no longer apply a life sentence for a third (even non-violent) felony conviction after two previous convictions for violent felonies. Under the revised law, those convicted of a third felony, unless the third felony itself was a violent or serious one, will serve twice the minimum sentence for the third felony and not receive a life sentence.

At the same time, a majority in California also voted to retain that state's death penalty on Tuesday. Proposition 34, which would have replaced the death penalty with sentences of life without parole, went down to defeat. The death penalty, and its economic, social, and policy implications, will remain a "hot topic" issue for legal scholars, attorneys, and law students.  A good starting point for background and all types of resources on the death penalty is the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).  This nonpartisan organization provides news and current developments, reports, maps, statistics, surveys, links to academic articles, coverage of the history of the death penalty with bibliographic references for research papers and projects, and analysis of specific death penalty issues, such as clemency or juveniles.  

Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

Death Penalty Information Center

It has been more than three years since my last post about the Death Penalty Information Center, so it's time for an update. This nonprofit site remains a valuable resource for law students and faculty, with statistics, reports, state-by-state information, and the latest news on death penalty legislation, sentencing, and other issues. This is a great place to begin a research paper or just to keep up to date on developments related to the death penalty in the U.S. legal system.

The latest news from the Center is their free mobile app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. As described here on the Sentencing Law and Policy blog, this application provides mobile access to the key resources available on the web site.



Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat

The Death Penalty Information Center

The Death Penalty Information Center is non-profit organization that provides analysis and information on capital punishment. The web site is filled with useful resources such as reports, press releases, news stories, an execution database, and state-by-state information. It is a great starting point for all aspects of capital punishment research.


Ernster, the Virtual Library Cat