The Moratorium Campaign

Home > Facts > Studies & Research

Studies & Research on the Death Penalty

"The High Cost of the Death Penalty" (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF) by the ACLU Capital Punishment Project examines the data available on the cost of the death penalty versus a system with the maximum punishment of life without the possibility of parole. Ultimately it is concluded that the death penalty can be two and three times more expensive.

Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment Report - Since February of 2000 when Republican Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on executions in his state the nation has been waiting for the report and recommendations produced by his highly qualified bi-partisan commission. It was released on April 15, 2002.

A Broken System, Part II: Why There is So Much Error in Capital Cases, and What Can be Done About It (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF) - This landmark study by Columbia University Law School examined every death penalty appeal between 1973-1995 and found that 68% of them were overturned because of serious errors. Part II examines why those errors have occurred and what, if anything, can be done about it.

Another Place Beyond Here: The Death Penalty Moratorium Movement in the United States (Adobe PDF) - This article from the University of Colorado Law Review examines the rising support for moratoria as support for the death penalty is declining.

American Bar Association: Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Counsel in Death Penalty Cases (Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF) - Experience has demonstrated that capital trials and appeals are extremely specialized and demanding and that the appointment of unqualified, inexperienced counsel can be very costly in terms of delay, expense and errors. These Guidelines will greatly assist planning for capital cases in a manner that does not clog their courts, while assuring effective assistance of counsel.

Human Rights Watch Report: BEYOND REASON: The Death Penalty and Offenders with Mental Retardation
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/ustat/