FAITH & FACTS: THE DEATH PENALTY
What does the Bible say?
Thou shalt not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
Say to them, “As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death
of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live.” (Ezekiel 33:11)
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the
LORD. (Leviticus 19:18)
Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:3-11)
Jesus spares the life of a woman caught in adultery.
You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.” But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps
you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. (Matthew 5:38-39)
You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:43-44)
What does the Presbyterian Church (USA) say?
Presbyterian General Assemblies have been concerned not only for the issue of capital punishment, but also for
those imprisoned. The major policy statements of the past 40 years have come in 1959, 1977 and 1978.
In 1959 the 171st General Assembly, “believing that capital punishment cannot be condoned by an
interpretation of the Bible based upon the revelation of God’s love in Jesus Christ,” called on Christians to “seek
the redemption of evil doers and not their death” and noted that “the use of the death penalty tends to brutalize
the society that condones it.”
In 1977 the 189th General Assembly called upon its members to:
a. Work to prevent the execution of persons now under sentence of death and further use of the death
penalty;
b. Work against attempts to reinstate the death penalty in state and federal law, and where such laws exist,
to work for their repeal;
c. Work for the improvement of the justice system to make less radical means available for dealing with
persons who are a serious threat to themselves and to the safety and welfare of society.
The next year, 1978, the General Assembly went on record as saying, “Capital punishment is an expression of
vengeance which contradicts the justice of God on the cross.”
In 1985, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), reaffirmed these positions and declared “its continuing opposition to
capital punishment.”
In 2000, and a decade later in 2010, the General Assembly reaffirmed its stance against capital punishment, and
called for “an immediate moratorium on all executions in all jurisdictions that impose capital punishment,”
authorizing direct advocacy by the Stated Clerk with the President of the United States, Congressional
representatives, and governors and state legislators in states where persons are incarcerated while awaiting
execution.
What do the facts say?
Since 1973, over 140 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence.1
A 2009 national poll commissioned by the Death Penalty Information Center found police chiefs
ranked the death penalty last among ways to reduce violent crime. The police chiefs also
considered the death penalty the least efficient use of taxpayers’ money.
A 2009 study found "no empirical support for the argument that the existence or application of the
death penalty deters prospective offenders from committing homicide."2
Over 135 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice. This includes nearly all of
Europe, Central and South America, and numerous countries in Africa.
States that practice the death penalty have higher murder rates than states that do not.
Specifically, in 2006, states that had capital punishment had a 40% higher murder rate than states that
did not have capital punishment.3
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1. See Staff report, House Judiciary Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights, Oct. 1993, with updates from the Death Penalty Information Center,
2. T. Kovandzic, L. Vieraitis and D. Paquette Boots, Criminology and Public Policy, University of Texas at Dallas, 2009.
3. See http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org, keyword: “Deterrence, Consistently Lower Murder Rates”
What can you say?
Help start a conversation in your church:
 Sponsor a dialogue on topics related to the death penalty—reconciliation and forgiveness;
innocence & wrongful convictions; bias and unfairness in the criminal justice system.
 Host a guest speaker who can share more information and experiences.
 Screen a film about the death penalty and host a “talk back” afterwards.
 Gather materials (fact sheets, petitions, etc.) and organize a table to educate church members
and get them more involved.
 Tell your State Representative and Senator that the death penalty does not work in meeting
the needs of victims or protecting society. Important resources used in pursuing and
enforcing the death penalty must be redistributed to increase resources for crime prevention
and victims’ services.
Join Coloradans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty Foundation:
Advocate for replacing the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole by signing
up at www.coadp.org