Evidence And Accountability

Questions of Fact

Common claims about the death penalty deserve clear answers grounded in evidence, public records, and the real choices communities face.

Photo Courtesy Glenn E. Murray, Attorney, Buffalo

Evidence In Context

Questions the evidence can answer.

Executions Do Not Cost Less

Directional signs pointing toward life in prison and the death penalty

Does the Death Penalty Cost More Than Life Without Parole?

Capital cases carry higher costs because the legal process is longer, more complex, and designed to prevent irreversible error. Explore where the public money goes and why deterrence is not a proven return on that spending.

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Executions Are Not a Deterrent

Execute justice, not people message beside a hanging rope

Studies: Death Penalty Had No Effect on Reducing Crime

The Brennan Center for Justice examined possible explanations for the decline in crime during the 1990s and 2000s. Its analysis found no evidence that executions affected the crime drop, a finding highlighted by the Death Penalty Information Center.

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Youth

Why Age Matters in Death-Penalty Cases

People who were under 18 at the time of a crime cannot receive a death sentence in the United States. Brain science has renewed debate about extending that protection to young adults ages 18 to 20. The coalition opposes capital punishment in all circumstances.

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Mental Illness

Severe Mental Illness Does Not Automatically Bar Execution

Severe mental illness can affect judgment, decision-making, and a person’s ability to take part in a legal defense. Yet the United States has no categorical ban on sentencing or executing people with serious mental illness.

Explore The Facts