Death Penalty Information Center

The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on disseminating studies and reports related to the death penalty. Founded in 1990, DPIC is primarily focused on the application of capital punishment in the United States.

DPIC does not take a formal position on the death penalty but is critical of how it is administered.^[1][2][3] As a result, some have referred to it as an anti-death penalty organization.^[4][5] According to a pro-death penalty prosecutor, DPIC is "probably the single most comprehensive and authoritative internet resource on the death penalty" but "makes absolutely no effort to present any pro-death penalty views."^[6] However, the DPIC's award-winning Educational Curriculum on the Death Penalty includes a discussion of commonly raised arguments both for and against the death penalty.^[7]

In June 2022, on the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia, DPIC released its Death Penalty Census, which covers the period from 1972 to January 1, 2021. The database was the result of a years-long effort.^[8] The Death Penalty Census will be updated periodically, includes death sentences imposed in U.S. state, federal, and military courts, and includes numerous details about each case.^[9]