Capital Punishment | American Civil Liberties Union

The Capital Punishment Project works toward the repeal of the death penalty in the United States through strategic litigation, advocacy, public education, ... Skipnavigation Issue › CapitalPunishment TheCapitalPunishmentProjectworkstowardtherepealofthedeathpenaltyintheUnitedStatesthroughstrategiclitigation,advocacy,publiceducation,andtrainingprogramsforcapitaldefenseteams. Whatyouneedtoknow 166 Between1973and2019,173innocentdeath-rowprisonerswereexoneratedandreleased. 2% Ameretwopercentofthisnation'scountieshaveproducedbothamajorityofallexecutionsimposedsince1976(52percent)andofprisonersawaitingexecutionondeathrow(56percent). 76% Seventy-sixpercentofexecutionsimposedsince1976wereforkilling(atleastone)whitevictim. TheLatest News&Commentary News&Commentary OneYearLater:HowtheBidenAdministrationisDoingonCivilRightsandCivilLiberties News&Commentary News&Commentary RememberingDamonThibodeaux,WhoSurvivedDeathRow News&Commentary News&Commentary TheUnhappy25thBirthdayofTwoTough-on-CrimeEraLawsThatHaveDeadlyConsequencesforIncarceratedPeople News&Commentary News&Commentary AtrocitiesoftheFederalDeathPenalty ExploreMore News&Commentary CourtCases PressReleases Podcasts Reports SeeAll StayinformedaboutourlatestworkinCapitalPunishment Bycompletingthisform,IagreetoreceiveoccasionalemailsperthetermsoftheACLU'sprivacypolicy. WhatWe'reFocusedOn ExecutionMethods TheACLUworksincourts,legislatures,andcommunitiestodefendandpreservetheindividualrightsandlibertiesthattheConstitutionandthe... InnocenceandtheDeathPenalty TheACLUworksincourts,legislatures,andcommunitiestodefendandpreservetheindividualrightsandlibertiesthattheConstitutionandthe... MentalIllnessandtheDeathPenalty TheACLUworksincourts,legislatures,andcommunitiestodefendandpreservetheindividualrightsandlibertiesthattheConstitutionandthe... ProsecutorialMisconductandCapitalPunishment TheACLUworksincourts,legislatures,andcommunitiestodefendandpreservetheindividualrightsandlibertiesthattheConstitutionandthe... RacialDisparitiesandtheDeathPenalty TheACLUworksincourts,legislatures,andcommunitiestodefendandpreservetheindividualrightsandlibertiesthattheConstitutionandthe... What'satStake ThedeathpenaltyinAmericaisabrokenprocessfromstarttofinish.Deathsentencesarepredictednotbytheheinousnessofthecrimebutbythepoorqualityofthedefenselawyers,theraceoftheaccusedorthevictim,andthecountyandstateinwhichthecrimeoccurred.From1976to2015,1,392executionsoccurredintheUnitedStates,and995ofthemtookplaceintheSouth.Timeandtimeagain,wehaveproventhatthecriminaljusticesystemfailstoprotecttheinnocentandpersonswithseriousmentaldisabilitiesandillnessesfromexecution.Eventheadministrationofexecutionsisutterlyflawed:Everymethodofexecutioncomeswithanintolerablyhighriskofextremepainandtorture. Publicsupportforthedeathpenaltyisfalling;thenumbersofnewdeathsentencesandexecutionsarebothrapidlydecreasing.ThetimehascomeforAmericatoendthisfailedexperiment.  ThedeathpenaltyinAmericaisabrokenprocessfromstarttofinish.Deathsentencesarepredictednotbytheheinousnessofthecrimebutbythepoorqualityofthedefenselawyers,theraceoftheaccusedorthevictim,andthecountyandstateinwhichthecrimeoccurred.From1976to2015,1,392executionsoccurredintheUnitedStates,and995ofthemtookplaceintheSouth.Timeandtimeagain,wehaveproventhatthecriminaljusticesystemfailstoprotecttheinnocentandpersonswithseriousmentaldisabilitiesandillnessesfromexecution.Eventheadministrationofexecutionsisutterlyflawed:Everymethodofexecutioncomeswithanintolerablyhighriskofextremepainandtorture. Publicsupportforthedeathpenaltyisfalling;thenumbersofnewdeathsentencesandexecutionsarebothrapidlydecreasing.ThetimehascomeforAmericatoendthisfailedexperiment.  Showmore+ Credit:MichelleFrankfurter,JacquelynMartin/APPhotos Supportouron-goinglitigationandadvocacywork Donatenow