Présentation de Elizabeth A. Zitrin, JD sur "Death Penalty USA2104" lors du Forum Mondial des Droits de l'Homme le 28 Novembre 2014. Pour plus d'informations : - Site web : http://fmdh-2014.org/fr/ - Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/FMDH2014 - Twitter : https://twitter.com/FMDH2014 - Youtube : https://www.youtube.com/user/FMDH2014

1. Death Penalty USA
2104
Elizabeth A. Zitrin, JD
Vice President
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
WorldCoalition.org
Presented at World Forum on Human Rights
Marrakech, Morocco
November 28, 2014

2. Bad Company
for at least the past five years,
the USA has executed more
people than all but four
countries

4. China is always #1
#2 Iran
Iraq Saudi Arabia Yemen North Korea

5. Death Penalty World

6. a shrinking minority in the world
As of 2013
 Total Abolitionist in law or practice: 140
 Abolitionist for all Crimes: 98
 Abolitionist for Ordinary Crimes only: 7
 Abolitionist in Practice: 35
 Retentionist Countries: 58
In 1976, only 16 nations had abolished the
death penalty
Source: Amnesty International

7. Who Opposes the Death Penalty
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

8. 1948

9. The Universal Declaration of
Human Rights
Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty
and security of person.
Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture,
or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or
punishment.

10. The “modern” death penalty USA
In 1976, only 16 nations had abolished the death penalty.
1972: Furman v. Georgia. Death penalty effectively ended
by SCOTUS as arbitrary and a violation of the 8th
Amendment.
1976: Gregg v. Georgia. Death Penalty is constitutional
again. “Guided discretion”
1976 is the beginning of the modern death penalty in the
US.

11. Death Penalty USA Blue: No current death penalty statute
Orange: Death penalty statute
declared unconstitutional
Yellow: No one executed since 1976
Red: Has performed execution since
1976

12. Death Sentences since 1976

13. 1389 executed in the US since 1976
Source: Death Penalty Information Center

14. 2013
Source: Death Penalty Information Center

15. Why Must We End the Death Penalty
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

16. Maryland

17. Innocence

18. Room for Error
DNA evidence has resulted in 321
exonerations in 34 states since 1989.
 20 of those exonerees served time on death
row.
 DNA is available in only 5-10% of cases
 Wrongful convictions: 75% involve bad ID, 50%
involve “junk science,” 25% false confessions

19. Cost

20. Race
Source: Death Penalty Information Center

21. Public Safety Requires an End to
Death Penalty
LAW ENFORCEMENT
PROFESSIONALS
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

22. Police, Prosecutors, Wardens, Judges

23. Deterrence
The study, Do Executions Lower Homicide Rates? The Views of Leading Criminologists, published in the Journal of Criminal Law and
Criminology, concluded, “There is overwhelming consensus among America’s top criminologists that the empirical research conducted on the
deterrence question fails to support the threat or use of the death penalty.”

24. “Closure” is a Fantasy
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
LAW ENFORCEMENT
PROFESSIONALS
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

25. Robert “Renny” Cushing, Jr.

26. Politicians who oppose the death
penalty are elected
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
LAW ENFORCEMENT
PROFESSIONALS
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

27. Robert “Renny” Cushing, Jr.

28. One Life at a Time
LAWYERS
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

29. Lawyer and Prophet Bryan Stevenson
“The opposite of
poverty is not
wealth. In too
many places, the
opposite of
poverty is justice.”

30. What is the Right Thing to do?
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL LEADERS
LAWYERS
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

31. Sister Helen Prejean
with Dr. Arthur Zitrin

32. It is a Small World
THE WORLD COMMUNITY
RELIGIOUS AND MORAL LEADERS
LAWYERS
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
VICTIMS’ FAMILIES
LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS
THE INNOCENT
HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES

33. We are the World

34. November 28, 2014
World Forum on Human Rights
Marrakech MOROCCO
Elizabeth Zitrin
Vice President
World Coalition Against the Death Penalty
eaz@ZitrinLaw.com
WorldCoalition.org