Use of Capital Punishment By Country - The Americas

The Americas

Of the 35 independent states in the Americas that are UN members:

  • 15 (43%) have abolished it.
  • 4 (11%) retain it for crimes committed in exceptional circumstances (such as in time of war).
  • 13 (37%) permit its use for ordinary crimes, but have not used it for at least 10 years and are believed to have a policy or established practice of not carrying out executions, or it is under a moratorium.
  • 3 (9%) maintain the death penalty in both law and practice.

The information above is accurate as of 2010 when both Guatemala and the Bahamas became de facto abolitionist states by not having carried out executions for ten years.

  • The United States was the only country in the Americas to carry out executions in 2011. The United States carries out more executions than any other liberal democracy (as defined by Freedom House) in the world. The only other countries in the Americas which practice capital punishment are Cuba and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Executions in the Americas in 2010: United States (46).
Executions in the Americas in 2011: United States (43), the only source of executions in the G8 countries or Western Hemisphere.

Note: The tables can be sorted alphabetically or chronologically using the icon.

Key Country Year of last execution Executions 2011 Year abolished Notes
Antigua and Barbuda 1991 n/a Death penalty for murder
Argentina 1916 2009 Constitution states "The penalty of death for political offences, all kinds of torture, and flogging, are forever abolished." The Military Code of Justice (including the death penalty) was abolished on 6 August 2008 and into law six months later.
Bahamas 2000 n/a Death penalty for treason; Piracy; Murder
Barbados 1984 n/a Death penalty for murder; Treason. Presently under review before the IACHR despite strong national support.
Belize 1985 n/a Death penalty for murder, except where extenuating circumstances can be proved
Bolivia 1974 n/a Abolished for ordinary crimes 1997.

"The death penalty does not exist"(Article 15).
Brazil 1876 n/a Brazil has always maintained the death penalty as part of its military code but capital punishment for civil offenses was abolished after Brazil became a republic in 1889, then reinstated and abolished again twice (1938–53 and 1969–78). Only one person was ever sentenced to death during the Republican period, in 1969, and the execution was not carried out.

The current Constitution of Brazil (1988) expressly forbids the use of capital punishment by the civil penal justice system. For more information see Capital punishment in Brazil.
Canada 1962 1976 Abolished in 1976 for ordinary criminal matters; abolished 1998 for military offences.

For more information see Capital punishment in Canada
Chile 1985 n/a Abolished from civil justice in 2001.
Colombia 1909 1910 Abolished in 1910
(by Constitutional reform)

Prohibited by the Colombian Constitution of 1991: "The right to life is inviolable. There will be no death penalty."
Costa Rica 1859 1877 Abolished 1877 by Constitution.
Cuba 2003 n/a In 2008 all but three of the existing death sentences were commuted to prison sentences.
Dominica 1986 n/a
Dominican Republic 1966 1966 Abolished in 1966 by Constitution.
Ecuador 1884 1906 Abolished 1906
(by Constitution)

For more information see Capital punishment in Ecuador.
El Salvador 1973 n/a May be imposed only in cases provided by military laws during a state of international war. Abolished for other crimes 1983.
Grenada 1978 n/a
Guatemala 2000 n/a
Haiti 1972 1987 Abolished 1987 by Constitution.
Guyana 1997 n/a Death penalty for terrorist acts; Murder; mass murder; rape; willful murder; treason; torture. The constitution states that it must not be a mandatory punishment.
Honduras 1940 1956 Abolished 1956 by Constitution.
Jamaica 1988 n/a Death penalty for murder
Mexico 1961 – Military
1937 – Civilian		 2005 Abolished for all crimes in 2005. Since the kidnap and murder of 14-year-old Fernando Martí in July 2008 at the hands of an organized group of criminals that included police officers, there had been social pressure to reinstate capital punishment (including from the Green Party) and the issue was brought up in Congress, but Congress refused to reinstate it. Additionally, as Mexico is a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), it is prohibited from reinstating the death penalty after it had been abolished.

See Capital punishment in Mexico.
Nicaragua 1930 1979 Abolished 1979 by Constitution
Panama *None since independence in 1903 1903 Abolished 1903 by Constitution.
Paraguay 1928 1992 Abolished 1992
(by Constitution)
Peru 1979 n/a Death penalty for treason; terrorism; espionage; genocide; mutiny; desertion in times of war. Abolished for other crimes 1979.
Saint Kitts and Nevis 2008 n/a Death penalty for murder
Saint Lucia 1995 n/a Death penalty for murder; Treason
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1995 n/a Death penalty for murder; Treason
Suriname 1982 n/a The last execution in 1982, was arbitrary, by military firing squad and without due process. The perpetrators are presently being tried. The death penalty is de facto, but not de jure abolished by signing the treaty of San Jose in 1987. Aggravated or premeditated murder; treason For more information see Capital punishment in Suriname
Trinidad and Tobago 1999 n/a Death penalty for murder; Treason
United States 2012 43 n/a Capital punishment was suspended in the United States from 1972 through 1976. Currently Federal law provides the death penalty for many homicide-related crimes; espionage; treason; As of April 2012, 33 of the 50 US states still exercise the death penalty. The 17 states who have abolished capital punishment are (with abolition date): Michigan (1846), Wisconsin (1853), Maine (1887), Minnesota (1911), Hawaii (1948), Alaska (1957), Vermont (1964), Iowa (1965), West Virginia (1965), North Dakota (1973), Rhode Island (1979), Massachusetts (1984 – de facto judicial abolition, retains statute), New York (2004 – de facto judicial abolition, retains statute), New Jersey (2007), New Mexico (2009), Illinois (2011), and Connecticut (2012). As of July 2012 bills proposing death penalty abolition are being considered by the legislatures of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Washington – bills proposing the reinstatement of the death penalty are being considered by the legislatures of Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, New Mexico and Rhode Island In California a death penalty abolition vote was defeated in November 2012. Oregon re-introduced the death penalty in 1978 after abolition in 1964. Delaware re-introduced the death penalty in 1961 after abolition in 1958. Of the US non-state entities US Samoa still has capital punishment as a local statute, although in September 2012 the Governor moved to repeal the death penalty. The remaining non-state entities have abolished the death penalty, Puerto Rico (1929), Washington DC (1981), Mariana Islands (never a local statute), Guam, US Virgin Islands. In practice the death penalty is used only for murder; conspiracy to commit murder. Sentences of death may be handed down by a jury or a judge (upon a bench trial or a guilty plea). For more information see Capital punishment in the United States.
Uruguay 1905 1907 Abolished 1907
(by Constitution)
Venezuela *None since independence in 1830 1863 Abolished in 1863
by Constitution

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