The Death Penalty

The Death Penalty

Pope Francis called for a revision of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to say that, in all cases, the death penalty is “inadmissible” (Revised Catechism of the Catholic Church 2267). With over 2,800 people sitting on death row and 14 executions scheduled for the remainder of 2018 in our country, the Holy Father’s announcement reminds us that as Catholics we are called to honor the God-given dignity of all human life, without exception, even the lives of those who have committed crimes – even grievous, heinous ones that have caused immense harm to others.  This does not lessen the horror of the crime or the revulsion we have towards that crime, nor does it mean that the person does not still face judgment, but that we acknowledge the dignity of the life of the criminal since he or she was created by God.

At the heart of Catholic teaching on the death penalty is the belief that “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end…” (Catechism, paragraph 2258). 
Although New Jersey no longer has the death penalty, 33 states still have inmates on death row.

Please keep in mind these statistics when reflecting on the death penalty:
 

• Since 1973, 162 innocent people on death row have been exonerated, with the most recent being Vicente Benavides on April 19, 2018. (US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil & Constitutional Rights) 
   
• In 2017 alone, at least 20 of the 23 people executed (87%) had significant evidence of mental illness, intellectual disability, brain damage, severe trauma, and/or abuse. (Death Penalty Information Center, 2017 Year End Report)
   
• The government is not always a perfect arbiter of justice. Black people make up 13 percent of the population, but they make up 42% of death row inmates and 35% of those executed. (NAACP Legal Defense Fund)
   
• Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether a defendant will receive the death penalty is the quality of the representation he or she is provided. Almost all defendants in capital cases cannot afford their own attorneys. In many cases, the appointed attorneys are overworked, underpaid, or lacking the trial experience required for death penalty cases.
  (Death Penalty Information Center)

Please pray for the victims of crime, as well as those on death row, and advocate for the end of the use of the death penalty in the United States. For more information on the Church’s pro-life teachings regarding the death penalty and ways you can take action, visit CatholicsMobilizing.org.