capital punishment
Let an agent describe the death penalty neutrally and accurately, by jurisdiction, legal status, crimes, procedures and human rights law, without graphic detail.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent describe the death penalty neutrally and accurately, by jurisdiction, legal status, crimes, procedures and human rights law, without graphic detail.
The state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for a crime, following a legal process; also called the death penalty.
What it is for: A criminal sanction that some states retain and most have abolished; the model records its legal status and the debate around it.
It can be abolish or retain it, through law; impose it, only by courts in retaining states; appeal, commute or pardon, through legal and executive processes; study and report on it, with reliable data.
Distinguishing features
State-sanctioned, following a legal process; distinct from extrajudicial killing
Abolished in law or practice by a large majority of countries
Restricted by international human rights law
Historical and current practice differ widely
What it looks like
Not described here beyond legal process; the model deliberately avoids describing methods.
How it is recognised
Legal texts providing for the death penalty
Court judgments imposing death sentences
Reports from human rights bodies on use and abolition
Related models
is a kind of - the most severe sanction
is governed by - domestic and international
follows - as a sentence
is confused with - without legal process
In practice
Families and kinds
by status: abolitionist for all crimes, abolitionist for ordinary crimes, abolitionist in practice, retentionist
by crime category: murder, drug offences, other offences
historical practices, which are part of history rather than current law
Standards and regulation
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 6
Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR aiming at abolition
Protocols 6 and 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights
UN safeguards protecting the rights of those facing the death penalty
Failure modes and hazards
Wrongful convictions, which cannot be remedied after execution
Graphic or sensational description, which the model avoids
Outdated status data, since laws change
Also called
+168
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Legal status Where it exists in law.
Status by jurisdiction is the core fact.
Status
Abolitionist or retentionist.
Status
Legal status in a jurisdiction.
- What is the legal status of the death penalty in this jurisdiction, as of when? provenance
- For which crimes, if any, is it provided? definition
International law
Treaties and obligations.
Treaty status
Treaty ratifications.
- Which relevant treaties has the state ratified? provenance
- What restrictions do they impose? boundary
Process and safeguards How cases proceed.
Safeguards are required by international standards.
Legal process
Trial, appeal, clemency.
Process
The legal steps.
- What appeals and clemency procedures exist? definition
- What legal representation is guaranteed? boundary
Protections
Groups excluded.
Protections
Legal protections.
- Which groups are legally excluded, such as juveniles? boundary
- Are these protections respected in practice, according to monitors? provenance
Data Use in practice.
Reliable data is scarce and must be sourced.
Numbers
Sentences and executions.
Data
Counts with sources.
- What do reliable sources report on sentences and executions, and for what year? measurement
- How complete are the data? boundary
Trends
Abolition over time.
Trends
Trends in abolition.
- How has the number of abolitionist countries changed? measurement
- What recent legal changes have occurred? provenance
Debate and handling Arguments and how to discuss it.
The subject is contested; an agent should be balanced and non-graphic.
Debate
Arguments on each side.
Arguments
Main arguments and evidence.
- What are the main arguments for and against, and what does evidence say about deterrence? provenance
- Which claims are contested? boundary
Handling
Neutral, non-graphic.
Handling rules
How the agent should discuss it.
- Is the requested detail necessary, or would it be gratuitous? boundary
- How can the agent stay neutral and accurate? action
What the second pass must settle
- How should the legal status per country be recorded and kept current?
- How should historical practices be separated from current law?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming specific historical methods; should they be split off or kept as history only?