Our work is rooted in a simple but profound belief: the death penalty is wrong, for all people in all circumstances. It is cruel, discriminatory, arbitrary and irreversible. We are committed to ending capital punishment, but this work is not straightforward – so how do we do it?
First and foremost, we are lawyers. We use the law to restrict and end the use of the death penalty, protect the human rights of people in prison and promote fair and effective criminal justice systems.
We do this through:
We provide free legal representation and assistance to people at risk of a death sentence or who are currently on death row. We uphold their rights, prevent executions and uncover miscarriages of justice.
This includes giving free legal assistance to British nationals facing death sentences abroad.
By mounting direct challenges to the death penalty, we force courts to consider whether the punishment can ever be lawful.
We end the use of the mandatory death penalty, improve legal protections for defendants in death penalty cases and ultimately ask courts to strike capital punishment from the law entirely.
Ending capital punishment is our core mission, and sometimes this leads us to support constitutional challenges with broader impacts on human rights.
Achieving abolition hinges on fundamental rights being upheld. So, when the legal issues involved in a challenge have the potential to shape how basic rights are interpreted, protected and expanded, we get involved.
We publish legal resources and provide targeted training to judges, lawyers, medical professionals and others working on the death penalty and related human rights issues within criminal justice systems.
These efforts increase human rights protections and strengthen sentencing processes, making justice systems stronger and fairer for everyone – and more sympathetic to abolition.
Ending the death penalty also happens effectively through political reform: in almost all countries that have abolished, the process has been parliament-led. At both the domestic and international level, we influence and invigorate evidence-based dialogue about criminal justice policy, building momentum for abolition.
We do this through:
Abolition of capital punishment can be a political process, requiring strong leadership.
We provide expert information and assistance to political leaders on the death penalty and criminal justice. Through sustained engagement, we challenge entrenched positions, raise awareness of human rights issues and support routes to policy reform.
A lack of transparency, polarised attitudes and unchallenged misconceptions about the death penalty can lead to misinformed policymaking and public debate.
We commission, support and publish independent research that deepens understanding about capital punishment and encourages evidence-based policy reform. We cover issues such as public opinion, the socioeconomic status of people on death row and conditions of detention.
We build alliances with civil society, legal professionals, diplomatic missions and the media across the globe. We are also a member of the Steering Committee of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.
Together, we form a toolbox. By combining our death penalty expertise with local and sector-specific knowledge, networks and opportunities, we create platforms for reform and momentum for abolition.
We have held consultative status before the United Nations Economic and Social Council since 2016.
Recognising that reaching global consensus is critical to achieving abolition, we use our expertise, networks and influence to shape the death penalty debate on the international stage.
