Transparency: The Death Penalty Around the World
- Posted by: GOOD , Kiss Me I'm Polish
- on April 21, 2009 at 8:00 am
Last week, Michael Rosales, who murdered 67-year-old Mary Felder in 1997, became the thirteenth person executed this year—in Texas. Whether or not you believe in the death penalty, it’s important to know that the United States is one of 59 countries that still executes its citizens on a regular basis (we currently have more than 3,000 inmates on death row). Our latest Transparency is a look at where, around the world, the death penalty is still used and where it has been abolished.
A collaboration between GOOD and Kiss Me I’m Polish
DISCUSSION: 34 Comments
Here are some slightly older but positive numbers from http://www.amnesty.ca/deathpenalty/canada.phpContrary to predictions by death penalty supporters, the homicide rate in Canada did not increase after abolition in 1976. In fact, the Canadian murder rate declined slightly the following year (from 2.8 per 100,000 to 2.7). Over the next 20 years the homicide rate fluctuated (between 2.2 and 2.8 per 100,000), but the general trend was clearly downwards. It reached a 30-year low in 1995 (1.98) — the fourth consecutive year-to-year decrease and a full one-third lower than in the year before abolition. In 1998, the homicide rate dipped below 1.9 per 100,000, the lowest rate since the 1960s. Here is a link to a column written today from Canada’s national newspaper as well.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090421.wcrime0421/BNStory/National/home
Unfortunately poverty is death penalty as well. I don’t want to sound too comunist nor socialist, but while this system continues (capitalism) ruling the world there will always be violence and death.Nice infographic.
there you go, proof positive that we do not in fact disagree with middle eastern countries on everything, at least Texas doesn’t – maybe it’s an oil thing.
1998 (date of confession) to 2009 is a long and expensive stay in prison. We need a better system…
Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Thank you for posting this. As a native Texan; I am all to familiar with the flippancy and arbitrariness in which the death penalty is administered. How Americans are perceived abroad regarding this issue is embarrassing.
For those of you reading in Georgia (or if you have friends in the state); I wanted to bring your attention to A Global Day of Action for Troy Davis that has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, 2009 from 6-8 PM, on the steps of the Georgia State Capital. This will be the primary action in response to the 11th Circuit Court’s decision denying Troy relief, please do your best to make it out and show your support for Troy. For more information please contact 404-876-5661 ext. 13 or troy@aiusa.org.
Troy is a man on Georgia’s Death Row who was convicted WITHOUT a murder weapon or any DNA evidence. He was convicted solely based on the eyewitness testimony of 9 individuals and since then 7 of the 9 have recanted. He has already been given 3 stays of execution.
If you live outside Georgia or if you’re in the state and have not signed the petition you may do so here: http://www.amnestyusa.org/troydavis
Kathryn
Georgia State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator (Atlanta Area)
Amnesty International USA
This post is for anyone on this list who happens to be from Houston, Texas. On April 30th, the local chapters of Amnesty International and the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty are organizing a vigil/protest in front of the Harris County Criminal Justice Center in downtown Houston to mark the impending 200th execution under Governor Rick Perry. For more info about time, speakers, etc, go to http://www.amnestyhouston.org. To confirm that you are coming and invite others to come, go to http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=71339261455&ref=mf Thank you. Hope to see many of you there.Phivan WrightAmnesty International Houston
When you have the death penalty in a country, it makes every citizen a killer.
surprisingly, i don’t see Singapore featured in the map, we have the highest per capita execution rate in the world (i think)cheers from Singapore !
Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in Singapore. The city-state had the highest per-capita execution rate in the world between 1994 and 1999, estimated by the United Nations to be 13.57 executions per one million population during that period. The next highest was Turkmenistan with 12.43. Source: Wikipedia; Date: May 3, 2009.
Well, I am 100% sure that in Brazil there is no exception, the death penalty does not exist. So this map is not correct.
Great idea for a map, but completely ignores the fact that in the U.S., the death penalty is usually given for state crimes (murder) in the state courts. 15 states plus DC don’t execute prisoners.
What about the crimes these people committed to be placed on Death Row?Perhaps you can let them out of prison to come live with you!
When you have the death penalty in a country, it makes every citizen a killer.Ah, those evil Japanese. I just hate this kind of argument. We shouldn’t do it because… the Chinese do it too! That’s not much of an argument.FWIW, I also oppose the death penalty in the United States, but only because of the peculiarities and difficulties of applying it fairly here. I don’t have any problem with other countries using it.
A rather silly map. The type of punishment for crime is unrelated to the system of justice used to determine innocence or guilt
Can someone superimpose this on a crime map? That’s the most relevent correlation, and I suspect it’s not one that would make death penalty proponents happy.
Is it any wonder that the US tortures people? When the government has the right to kill the citizens of its country, do you think they give a flying fuck about torture?
I would, uh, take issue with your classification of Israel as a country that just executes in extreme cases like treason or war crimes, due to the fact they just elected a blatant war criminal, Netanyahu, as their prime minister.
Considering the fate of some of its journalists, should Russia really get to qualify as “no executions in the last 10 years”?
Nice to mention the “Palestinian Authority.” The Country That Shall Not Be Named abolished capital punishment, with exceptions for crime like genocide and treason, in 1952. Credibility much?
Hey Mr. Anonymous at 4:33,Not to yank your chain, but Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t preside over any military operations during his former tenure as PM or in the last couple months since he has taken office. If you are referring to Gaza, that happened end of December, January. Olmert and Livni were in charge. Netanyahu rested in the opposition. Not providing any cover but you should get your facts straight.
To comment again, this magazine seems to attract a rather uneducated audience. Anonymous at 9:08 seems to think that the PA was around in 1952, apparently they aren’t aware that the West Bank was a part of Jordan and Gaza belonged to Egypt. While Egypt had no problem dropping Gaza after 1967, Jordan didn’t relinquish claims to the West Bank until the first intifada. Again, there are facts and lies. This magazine should regulate the comments.
The implication is wrongheaded to say the least. We have the death penalty in this counrty because the United States Supreme Court country has ruled that the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment. The individual States determine whether they want to use the death penalty or not. Except for a few years in the 70’s the death penalty has been always been used in this country. In this counrty there is due process, the right to appeal ,the right to a lawyer, etc. Just because some religous council in Iran can hang or behead some guy through a kangaroo court does not mean that our system of punishment is similar. The anti-death penalty side will always lose this arguement. The fact is most people in this country believe that when someone commits the heinous act of murder, that murder deserves to die and no longer be a burden in our society. good luck trying to convince people otherwise. Just as a follow up, I think it is a good thing that the Germans don’t use the death penalty.
104 countries have the death penalty, 93 don’t
Even in Western Europe, that collection of governments most opposed to capital punishment, their citizens actually do support the death penalty.
from the French daily Le Monde, December 2006 (1):
Percentage of respondents in favor of executing Saddam Hussein:
Great Britain: 69%France: 58%Germany: 53%Spain: 51%Italy: 46%
USA: 82%
We are led to believe there isn’t death penalty support in England or Europe. European governments won’t allow executions when their populations support it: they’re anti democratic. (2) Death penalty support is much deeper and much wider than we are often led to believe, with significant percentages of those who say they, generally, oppose the death penalty, actually supporting it when it is a true death eligible crime.
(1) The recent results of a poll conducted by Novatris/Harris for the French daily Le Monde on the death penalty shocked the editors and writers at Germany’s left-leaning SPIEGEL ONLINE (Dec. 22, 2006). When asked whether they favored the death penalty for Saddam Hussein, a majority of respondents in Germany, France and Spain responded in the affirmative.
(2)An excellent article, “Death in Venice: Europe’s Death-penalty Elitism”, details this anti democratic position (The New Republic, by Joshua Micah Marshall, 7/31/2000). Another situation reflects this same mentality. “(Pres. Mandela says ‘no’ to reinstating the death penalty in South Africa – Nelson Mandela against death penalty though 93% of public favors it, according to poll. “(JET, 10/14/96). Pres. Mandela explained that “. . . it was necessary to inform the people about other strategies the government was using to combat crime.” As if the people didn’t understand. South Africa has had some of the highest crime rates in the world in the ten years, since Mandela’s comments. “The number of murders committed each year in the country is as high as 47,000, according to Interpol statistics.” As of 2006, 72% of South Africans want the death penalty back. (”South Africans Support Death Penalty”, 5/14/2006, Angus Reid Global Monitor : Polls & Research
NOTE: Some recent polls – with no mention of specific crimes.
97%+ of Guatemalans support the death penalty. 2.6% oppose(telephone survey, newspaper Prensa Libre, 2/14/08)www(dot)latinamericapress.org/article.asp?lanCode=1&artCode=5545
79% support the resumption of hanging in Jamaica. 16% oppose. (Bill Johnson Polling for The Gleaner (Jamaica) Newspaper, 1/12-13/08
Two-thirds of Czechs for death penalty reintroduction – pollPrague- Almost two-thirds of Czechs believe that death penalty should exist in the Czech Republic, while one-third believes the opposite, according to a poll the CVVM agency conducted in May and released. June 12, 2008, Ceskenoviny.cz/news/
Anon @ 10:14. Please learn to read, with a sense of irony at least. The country I did not name is Israel. I certainly did not say that the PA was around in 1952. My point is that the PA is not a country. The authors ignore Israel in favor of the Pali imperative. You’re lack of understanding is distressing, bt kind of funny.