A la Une

21-01-2010 -
Racial, ethnic and social bias in the death penalty

Round table on Wednesday 24 February, 5pm

The death penalty is widely used by governments of the world as a tool of repression
• against political opponents,
• against targeted religious communities,
• against the poor, and
• against racial and ethnic minorities.
For example, in the United States,
• if you are black you are more likely to be sentenced to death; (40% of death row inmates are African-Americans, while they represent only 11% of the American population), and
• if your victim is white you are much more likely to be sentenced to death.
Laws are enforced, arrests are made, trials are held, sentences are carried out, in the context of the political and social life of a nation. Can a political and social commitment to fairness be effective tools for abolition of the death penalty?

Round table organised by Death Penalty Focus
Founded in 1988, Death Penalty Focus is one of the largest organizations in the US dedicated to the abolition of capital punishment through public education; grassroots and political organizing; original research; media outreach; local, state and nationwide coalition building; and the education of religious, legislative and civic leaders about the death penalty and its alternatives.