The Death Penalty Project Charitable Trust

Our vision is a world without the death penalty, with strong and fair criminal justice systems that uphold human rights and offer access to justice for all.

Our mission is to advocate for people facing the death penalty or other cruel punishments, and to support the movement towards abolition through reform.

We provide access to justice for individuals and uncover miscarriages of justice, develop and promote human rights standards in criminal justice systems, encourage and facilitate evidence-based discussion on capital punishment and engage with policymakers around the world to advocate for penal reform.

For more than three decades, The Death Penalty Project has provided free legal representation to those facing the death penalty. We began as a few lawyers at London law firm Simons Muirhead Burton LLP dedicated to working on death penalty cases in the Caribbean. With the help of a wider team of human rights barristers, forensic experts and academics, our work has grown significantly over the years. Today we work in more than 30 countries around the world.

Driven by a belief that the death penalty is cruel and often discriminates against the poorest and most disadvantaged members of society, we work strategically to safeguard the rights of those facing the death penalty and other vulnerable prisoners. Our work has saved the lives of thousands of prisoners and transformed the legal landscape in the countries in which we operate.

The Death Penalty Project has two legal entities - a charitable trust (no. 1115035) and a limited company (no. 05579286). The charitable trust is a sister charity that provides funds to the limited company. They have a joint framework agreement and separate governance structures. We receive grants and donations from donors to both entities, depending on the donor's preference.