Public Support for Capital Punishment in Africa: An Empirical Study

• In Event: Dilemmas in Punishment: Global Perspectives

Abstract

Research on public support for capital punishment has generally focused on the United States with very little contribution from other parts of the world. Over a third of African countries still retain capital punishment for various crimes and many of these countries have justified their retentionist stands on the basis of public support for capital punishment and its deterrence value. However, the empirical status of these claims has yet to be verified. This study reports findings from a survey of 2460 adults in Ghana about attitudes to capital punishment. The study also examined factors explaining support for capital punishment and their implications for efforts towards abolition of capital punishment in Africa.

Authors

• Kofi E. Boakye, University of Cambridge

• Justice Tankebe, University of Cambridge