Death Penalty Information Center

Death Penalty Information Center
Formation1990; 34 years ago (1990)
TypeNon-profit organization
PurposeInformation on issues concerning capital punishment
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Websitedeathpenaltyinfo.org

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on disseminating studies and reports related to the death penalty. Founded in 1990, DPIC is primarily focused on the application of capital punishment in the United States.

DPIC does not take a formal position on the death penalty but is critical of how it is administered.[1][2][3] As a result, some have referred to it as an anti-death penalty organization.[4][5] According to a pro-death penalty prosecutor, DPIC is "probably the single most comprehensive and authoritative internet resource on the death penalty" but "makes absolutely no effort to present any pro-death penalty views."[6] However, the DPIC's award-winning Educational Curriculum on the Death Penalty includes a discussion of commonly raised arguments both for and against the death penalty.[7]

In June 2022, on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia, DPIC released its Death Penalty Census, which covers the period from 1972 to January 1, 2021. The database was the result of a years-long effort.[8] The Death Penalty Census will be updated periodically, includes death sentences imposed in U.S. state, federal, and military courts, and includes numerous details about each case.[9]

  1. ^ "Grant Schulte, Associated Press, Company: Nebraska shouldn't have gotten death penalty drug". Lincoln Journal Star. April 13, 2017. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  2. ^ "Alan Blinder, Alabama Inmate, 75, Hopes to Dodge Death for an Eighth Time". The New York Times. May 24, 2017. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  3. ^ "Zusha Elinson and Beth Reinhard, Effort Expands to Boost Punishment for Police Killers". The Wall Street Journal. June 8, 2017. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "Three States Accounted For 80 Percent Of Executions in 2014". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Latzer, Barry (October 27, 2010). Death Penalty Cases: Leading U.S. Supreme Court Cases on Capital Punishment. Elsevier. p. 21. ISBN 978-0123820259.
  6. ^ "1000+ Death Penalty Links". The ClarkCounty Prosecuting Attorney. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  7. ^ "Arguments for and Against the Death Penalty". Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  8. ^ "Death Penalty Census Codebook" (PDF).
  9. ^ "Death Penalty Census Database". Retrieved June 29, 2022.