Not making us safer: Crime, public safety and the death penalty

When faced with high crime rates or public concern and outrage over crime rates or particularly heinous crimes, politicians and government authorities often present the resumption of executions as a crime-control measure, despite the lack of convincing evidence of the deterrent effect of the death penalty on the overall crime situation. People want to be protected from crime; they want to live in safer societies. This briefing, marking the 11th World Day Against the Death on 10 October 2013, shows that the death penalty does not make us safer.

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