This is the revised and updated third edition of Roger Hood's classic study on the death penalty. In it he surveys and analyses the status of the death penalty as a punishment worldwide, taking into account the changes that have taken place during the six years since the last edition was published.

He shows that, despite a number of set-backs, the movement to abolish the death penalty has continued to gather pace; that international organizations and human rights treaties have increased the pressure on retentionist countries; that further developments have been made in securing protection for those facing the death penalty in retentionist counties; and that, despite such advances, in some parts of the world the range of crimes subject to the death penalty remains wide and the number of executions considerable. As before, Professor Hood engages in the latest debates on the realities of capital punishment, on claims that the death penalty is a unique deterrent to murder and other serious crime, and on the role of public opinion in the debate on capital punishment.

Introduction
1. The Abolitionist Movement: Progress and Prospects
2. Abolition and Retention: A Regional Analysis
3. The Infliction of Capital Punishment - i. The Scope of the Death Penalty ii. The Scale of the Executions
4. The Observance of Standards and Safeguards
5. Problems of Administering a Restrictive Policy of Death Sentencing
6. The Question of Deterrence
7. Public Opinion and Knowledge