The Death Penalty

Among democratic and developed countries, the United States stands almost alone in its regular use of the death penalty.

- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “A Culture of Life and the Death Penalty”

As Pope John Paul II discussed in his encyclical Evangelium vitae , human life is a gift given from God, and every human being inherits the dignity of that life. The death penalty is contrary to this belief, as it affords the government the right to determine the time of death for those who have committed certain heinous crimes. While the Church recognizes the historical purpose of the death penalty, it seems that the penalty no longer has a place in modern society.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that, “Assuming the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude the recourse of the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor. If, however, non-lethal means are sufficient to defend and protect people’s safety from the aggressor, the authority will limit itself to such means, as these are more in keeping with the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity with the dignity of the human person” (no. 2267).

Therefore, the possibility that no other means to deal with the aggressor’s presence could be used is almost inconceivable. In the Holy See’s Declaration to the First World Congress on the Death Penalty, it is stated, “It is surely more necessary than ever that the inalienable dignity of the human life be universally respected and recognized for its immeasurable value. The Holy See has engaged itself in the abolition of capital punishment…and does so in defiance of any assertion of a culture of death.”

Parish Program on What Catholics Should Know about the Death Penalty

What is Catholic teaching on the death penalty? Catholic teaching on the death penalty has been clarified for our modern times, and there often are misconceptions about the position of the Catholic Church on the use of capital punishment. The Respect Life Office and New Hampshire Catholic Charities therefore have collaborated to develop a parish educational program to provide Catholics and others with an overview of Catholic teaching on the death penalty as well as information about the use and effects of capital punishment in the United States. Contact Diane Quinlan, Chancellor, at dquinlan@rcbm.org or 603-669-3100 for further information about this program.

Facts about Death Row

  • Approximately 3200 inmates are on death row in 38 state and federal prisons. The largest number, over 680, is in California.
  • Since 1973, there have been 139 exonerations of death row inmates.
  • Fifteen states do not impose the death penalty.
  • A 2009 poll commissioned by the Death Penalty Information Center found police chiefs ranked the death penalty last among ways to reduce crime. The police chiefs also considered the death penalty to be the least efficient use of taxpayers' money.

Source: Death Penalty Information Center

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