- Death penalty - November 1987: Study finds 350 cases of defendants wrongfully convicted of capital crimes
- Death penalty - June 28, 1993: Kirk Bloodsworth becomes first American sentenced to death row to be exonerated with DNA testing
- Death penalty - U.S. States with the Death Penalty, Death Penalty Bans, and Death Penalty Moratoriums
- Death penalty - Most recent executions in each U.S. state
- Death penalty - Pro 2: The death penalty prevents additional crime.
- Death penalty
Why did DNA evidence lead some U.S. states to consider moratoriums on executions?
DNA evidence has been a critical factor in leading some U.S. states to consider or implement moratoriums on executions because it has revealed that individuals were wrongfully convicted of capital crimes.1
Following a landmark 1987 study that documented hundreds of cases of wrongful convictions, the emergence of DNA testing in the subsequent decade provided definitive scientific proof of innocence for numerous death row inmates. A notable milestone occurred on June 28, 1993, when Kirk Bloodsworth became the first American sentenced to death row to be exonerated through DNA testing, after evidence proved he was not responsible for the crime for which he was convicted.12
The discovery that innocent people could be sentenced to death highlighted the risk of irreversible judicial error, prompting concerns about the integrity of the justice system and leading several jurisdictions to pause executions to reevaluate their practices.134