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These articles outline several key issues about Capital Punishment.

• What is capital punishment?
• What does the Bible say about capital punishment?
• What does the Church teach now about capital punishment?

What is Capital Punishment?

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the deliberate ending of a human life as punishment by the state. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, and Death Penalty Information Center, 972 people (including 10 women) were executed from 1976 through June 2005. Most executions take place in Texas, as well as many in Virginia, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Florida. Over 3400 people are currently on death row.

What does the Bible say about Capital Punishment?

Many people think that there are passages in the Old Testament that advocate for capital punishment, such as “a life for a life, an eye for an eye” in Deuteronomy 19:21. However the main intent of this passage is to try to limit the punishment to fit the crime, not impose the death penalty. When Cain killed Abel, God did not end Cain’s life, but put him in exile to punish him as well as to protect him from others who might want to harm him (Genesis 4:15).

Clearly the New Testament teaches us to protect life and practice mercy.  Jesus treated many sinners with compassion and rebuked others for casting stones. 

What does the Church teach now about Capital Punishment?

 The Church teaches that every life is a precious gift from God. Those who inflict harm on others should be held accountable and punishment should be consistent with the demands of justice and with respect for human life and dignity

There are several purposes of punishment: redressing the disorder caused by the offense, i.e., just retribution; defending public order; deterring future wrongdoing; and promoting reform, repentance, and conversion of those who commit evil acts. We must recognize the dignity of each person, even someone who has denied the dignity of others. Dignity is not something that is earned or lost through behavior. Respect for life applies to all, even the perpetrators of terrible acts.

The document A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death was developed by the Committee on Domestic Policy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), 2005. The document teaches that “Our nation should forgo the use of the death penalty because

• The sanction of death, when it is not necessary to protect society, violates respect for human life and dignity.
• State-sanctioned killing in our names diminishes all of us.
• Its application is deeply flawed and can be irreversibly wrong, is prone to errors, and is biased by factors such as race, the quality of legal representation, and where the crime was committed.
• We have other ways to punish criminals and protect society.

Although the teaching of the Church does not exclude the death penalty if it is the only possible way of defending human life against an unjust aggressor, the need for the death penalty is practically non-existent.