In a recent move that went largely undetected by mainstream media and advocacy groups, the American Law Institute decided to abandon its legal support and justifications for the death penalty. In a study conducted by the Institute, it was found that the current system of capital punishment can not provide systemic fairness, that it risks executing innocent people, and that it is plagued by racial disparities. An article in the New York Times explores what this move means in the long-term for the future of the death penalty in the United States.

In light of “World Day Against the Death Penalty” on October 10th, leaders of the European Union have called on all countries of the world to abolish the death penalty. Rights organizations in the United States, such as the American Civil Liberties Union have joined the call in urging the United States to abolish the death penalty. Amnesty International has a very informative fact sheet on death penalty statistics around the world, reminding those of us in the United States that we live in one of the only industrialized democracies that continues to administer death as a form of punishment. How has the Troy Davis case here in Georgia shaped public discourse on the death penalty? Has the Obama Administration’s increased international engagement shifted the political opportunity for nation-wide abolition?

Photo: Scott Langley