Introduction to the Death Penalty in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This Introduction provides a brief overview of the death penalty in Sub-Saharan Africa, where, as in most of the world, the unmistakable trend is toward abolition. Capital punishment on the African continent is intricately linked with broader rule of law issues, including judicial independence, the size and skill of the legal profession, and due process protections for criminal defendants. The resource constraints and subservient economic position of African countries resulted in erratic and highly political death penalty regimes after independence. This Introduction also provides an overview of the structure of the book, including the historical foundations and modern operations of capital punishment.