International attitudes to the death penalty have evolved with the knowledge that the workings of any criminal justice process may be susceptible to the possibility of human error and an over-hasty response to appalling crimes. Miscarriages of justice occur in every system, however sophisticated, carrying the risk that innocent persons will be executed. This alone is one reason why countries have moved towards abolition of the death penalty with increasing frequency.

This report provides a global snapshot of cases and research findings from Japan, the United States, Taiwan, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom. International human rights law recognises the potential for wrongful conviction and execution of the innocent, or those who have not had fair trials. As a consequence, international norms seek to impose exacting standards and apply a heightened level of due process in capital cases.