A Special Feature on Capital Punishment Around the World
How do States and Countries with the Death Penalty Compare to Murder Rates in Jurisdictions Without Capital Punishment?
A Special Report by Derek Armstrong,
Crime Report USA Chief Crime Correspondent
More than half the countries in the world have the death penalty. Since most countries have tracked homicide rates and solve rates for decades (right from the time of the roaring 30s in most cases), correlating the “death penalty” deterrent to success in curbing capital crimes should be straight forward. Putting aside “wrongfully executed” arguments (in the U.S. 23 people between 1900 and 1995 according to Amnesty International), this investigation looks only at the deterrent value.
Best and Worst Nations For Murder
The U.S. was not among the top ten for “safest countries for murder” according to statistics compiled from Interpol. The best jurisdictions for safety were Slovenia, Austria, Sweden, Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Norway, Ireland, Finland and Singapore—some with capital punishment, most without. The worst jurisdictions mostly did have the death penalty, including: Columbia, El Salvador, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Albania, Venezuela, Russia, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama.
By contrast, Canada had a rate of homicide of 2 per 100,000, and the United States (as of 2005, according to Census data), was 5.5 per 100,000.
Canada Versus the U.S. on Capital Punishment
Canada might be the classic example of a western nation without a death penalty, and some states of the U.S. can serve as the contrast statistic for a quick analysis.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down capital punishment laws in the U.S. in 1972. Interestingly, murder rates soared between 1967 and 1977, a time during which there were no executions. In the 1990s, murder rates declined after some states began to reinstate executions.
On the other hand, no province in Canada has the death penalty. Since capital punishment was abolished, the murder rate in the “goody goody” northerner has dropped from 3 to 2 per 100,000, far below the U.S. 2005 rate of 5.5.
In Canada, no executions tends to mean lower homicides. However, in the U.S., the Bureau of Criminal Justice does show a decline in murders with increases in executions. The trend began to reverse in the year 2000, with executions and homicides both down.
Going Abroad With Numbers of Executions
Three countries—China, Iran and Nigeria–lead with the highest executions in the world, accounting for 87% of all reported executions as of 1994. While China has the highest execution rate, it also has the highest conviction rate—almost certainly too high to be reliable—at 99.97%
Conviction Rates on the Decline
China and Russia have almost incredible conviction rates, with 99% of cases heard in Russia court resulting in conviction, and 99.97% in China. In the U.S. and Canada, however, the conviction and arrest rates are dropping.
In the United States, overall arrest rates against crimes reported scores approximately 50% average, according to data compiled between 1991 and 2001 by the Bureau of Statistics. The conviction rate for murder is 60% as of 1998 in the U.S.. With murder slightly on the rise, but arrests hovering around 50% and convictions around 60%, numbers of 5.5 murders per 100,000 are don’t seem likely to improve soon. More than 7000 murders go without arrests each year, adding to the stack of cold cases (rounded statistics from Bureau of Statistics review).
In the U.S. Murders on the Increase
With murders on the increase, the rate of unsolved criminal homicides is also on the increase as well at an average of 50%. The latest well-organized statistics, compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, under The Uniform Crime Reporting Program, show murders on the increase, (although homicides are slightly on the decrease). Murder is defined as “willful non-negligent killing of one human being by another.”
Murders Up 2000 to 2006
With 14,990 murders in 2006, versus 13,230 in 2000, criminal homicides are up, with gangland killings growing the fastest—although still a small relative number at 118 killings in 2006 versus 65 in 2000)—and felony murders still topping the list at 2436 in 2006 versus 2229 in 2000.
Contrary to sensational headlines, “romantic” triangle” murders are declining, latest at 103 in 2006, down from 122 in 2000. Narcotics-related murders are up, now at 796 in 2006, up from 580 in 2000.
Murders The Same Per Capita
Probably the coldest but most effective way of reporting on the homicide trends are using the Bureau of Justice Statistics relative numbers, which takes into account a growing population. the rate of murders per 100,000 citizens was 5.5 in 2005. It was 5.5 in 2000 as well. In 2001 it climbed slightly to 5.6, then again to 5.7 in 2003, but stabilized statistically in 2005, the last year reported publicly. On a longer time horizon, prior to 2000, the homicide rate per 100,000 was much higher at 10.2 in 1980, declining gradually to 5.7 in 1999. Hard work of law enforcers and courts must take most of the credit.
575 Law Enforcers Killed
Over-worked law enforcement resources, and courts up against higher standards of evidence, may be part of the reason. This is especially evident in a climate where officers face the threat of homicide themselves. Between 1996 and 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, 575 officers were killed, with 26% killed in “arrest situations”, 18% in “ambush situations”, 18% in “traffic pursuits and stops” and 17% during “disturbance calls.” Most were killed with firearms in the line of duty.
Growing Number of Law Enforcement Officers Per Capita
The increasing murder rate and lower conviction rate is despite a growing number of law enforcement officers per capita. Each law enforcement officer covered 449 citizens, extrapolating from US Census Data (in 2006: 495,270 officers for 22.3 million), down from one officer per 481 in 1990.
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