The Americas
Of the 35 independent states in the Americas that are UN members:
- 15 (43%) have abolished it.
- 4 (11%) retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war).
- 13 (37%) permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have not used it for at least 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions, or it is under a moratorium.
- 3 (9%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.
The information above is accurate as of 2010 when both Guatemala and the Bahamas became de facto abolitionist states by not having carried out executions for ten years.
- The United States was the only country in the Americas to carry out executions in 2011. The United States carries out more executions than any other liberal democracy (as defined by Freedom House) in the world. The only other countries in the Americas which practice capital punishment are Cuba and St. Kitts and Nevis.
Executions in the Americas in 2010: United States (46).
Executions in the Americas in 2011: United States (43), the only source of executions in the G8 countries or Western Hemisphere.
Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.
| Key | Country | Year of last execution | Executions 2011 | Year abolished | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua and Barbuda | 1991 | n/a | Death penalty for murder | ||
| Argentina | 1916 | 2009 | Constitution states "The penalty of death for political offences, all kinds of torture, and flogging, are forever abolished." The Military Code of Justice (including the death penalty) was abolished on 6 August 2008 and into law six months later. | ||
| Bahamas | 2000 | n/a | Death penalty for treason; Piracy; Murder | ||
| Barbados | 1984 | n/a | Death penalty for murder; Treason. Presently under review before the IACHR despite strong national support. | ||
| Belize | 1985 | n/a | Death penalty for murder, except where extenuating circumstances can be proved | ||
| Bolivia | 1974 | n/a | Abolished for ordinary crimes 1997.
"The death penalty does not exist"(Article 15). |
||
| Brazil | 1876 | n/a | Brazil has always maintained the death penalty as part of its military code but capital punishment for civil offenses was abolished after Brazil became a republic in 1889, then reinstated and abolished again twice (1938–53 and 1969–78). Only one person was ever sentenced to death during the Republican period, in 1969, and the execution was not carried out.
The current Constitution of Brazil (1988) expressly forbids the use of capital punishment by the civil penal justice system. For more information see Capital punishment in Brazil. |
||
| Canada | 1962 | 1976 | Abolished in 1976 for ordinary criminal matters; abolished 1998 for military offences.
For more information see Capital punishment in Canada |
||
| Chile | 1985 | n/a | Abolished from civil justice in 2001. | ||
| Colombia | 1909 | 1910 | Abolished in 1910 (by Constitutional reform) Prohibited by the Colombian Constitution of 1991: "The right to life is inviolable. There will be no death penalty." |
||
| Costa Rica | 1859 | 1877 | Abolished 1877 by Constitution. | ||
| Cuba | 2003 | n/a | In 2008 all but three of the existing death sentences were commuted to prison sentences. | ||
| Dominica | 1986 | n/a | |||
| Dominican Republic | 1966 | 1966 | Abolished in 1966 by Constitution. | ||
| Ecuador | 1884 | 1906 | Abolished 1906 (by Constitution) For more information see Capital punishment in Ecuador. |
||
| El Salvador | 1973 | n/a | May be imposed only in cases provided by military laws during a state of international war. Abolished for other crimes 1983. | ||
| Grenada | 1978 | n/a | |||
| Guatemala | 2000 | n/a | |||
| Haiti | 1972 | 1987 | Abolished 1987 by Constitution. | ||
| Guyana | 1997 | n/a | Death penalty for terrorist acts; Murder; mass murder; rape; willful murder; treason; torture. The constitution states that it must not be a mandatory punishment. | ||
| Honduras | 1940 | 1956 | Abolished 1956 by Constitution. | ||
| Jamaica | 1988 | n/a | Death penalty for murder | ||
| Mexico | 1961 – Military 1937 – Civilian |
2005 | Abolished for all crimes in 2005. Since the kidnap and murder of 14-year-old Fernando Martí in July 2008 at the hands of an organized group of criminals that included police officers, there had been social pressure to reinstate capital punishment (including from the Green Party) and the issue was brought up in Congress, but Congress refused to reinstate it. Additionally, as Mexico is a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), it is prohibited from reinstating the death penalty after it had been abolished.
See Capital punishment in Mexico. |
||
| Nicaragua | 1930 | 1979 | Abolished 1979 by Constitution | ||
| Panama | *None since independence in 1903 | 1903 | Abolished 1903 by Constitution. | ||
| Paraguay | 1928 | 1992 | Abolished 1992 (by Constitution) |
||
| Peru | 1979 | n/a | Death penalty for treason; terrorism; espionage; genocide; mutiny; desertion in times of war. Abolished for other crimes 1979. | ||
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 2008 | n/a | Death penalty for murder | ||
| Saint Lucia | 1995 | n/a | Death penalty for murder; Treason | ||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1995 | n/a | Death penalty for murder; Treason | ||
| Suriname | 1982 | n/a | The last execution in 1982, was arbitrary, by military firing squad and without due process. The perpetrators are presently being tried. The death penalty is de facto, but not de jure abolished by signing the treaty of San Jose in 1987. Aggravated or premeditated murder; treason For more information see Capital punishment in Suriname | ||
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1999 | n/a | Death penalty for murder; Treason | ||
| United States | 2012 | 43 | n/a | Capital punishment was suspended in the United States from 1972 through 1976. Currently Federal law provides the death penalty for many homicide-related crimes; espionage; treason; As of April 2012, 33 of the 50 US states still exercise the death penalty. The 17 states who have abolished capital punishment are (with abolition date): Michigan (1846), Wisconsin (1853), Maine (1887), Minnesota (1911), Hawaii (1948), Alaska (1957), Vermont (1964), Iowa (1965), West Virginia (1965), North Dakota (1973), Rhode Island (1979), Massachusetts (1984 – de facto judicial abolition, retains statute), New York (2004 – de facto judicial abolition, retains statute), New Jersey (2007), New Mexico (2009), Illinois (2011), and Connecticut (2012). As of July 2012 bills proposing death penalty abolition are being considered by the legislatures of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Washington – bills proposing the reinstatement of the death penalty are being considered by the legislatures of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico and Rhode Island In California a death penalty abolition vote was defeated in November 2012. Oregon re-introduced the death penalty in 1978 after abolition in 1964. Delaware re-introduced the death penalty in 1961 after abolition in 1958. Of the US non-state entities US Samoa still has capital punishment as a local statute, although in September 2012 the Governor moved to repeal the death penalty. The remaining non-state entities have abolished the death penalty, Puerto Rico (1929), Washington DC (1981), Mariana Islands (never a local statute), Guam, US Virgin Islands. In practice the death penalty is used only for murder; conspiracy to commit murder. Sentences of death may be handed down by a jury or a judge (upon a bench trial or a guilty plea). For more information see Capital punishment in the United States. | |
| Uruguay | 1905 | 1907 | Abolished 1907 (by Constitution) |
||
| Venezuela | *None since independence in 1830 | 1863 | Abolished in 1863 by Constitution |
Read more about this topic: Use Of Capital Punishment By Country
Famous quotes containing the word americas:
“The only history is a mere question of one’s struggle inside oneself. But that is the joy of it. One need neither discover Americas nor conquer nations, and yet one has as great a work as Columbus or Alexander, to do.”
—D.H. (David Herbert)