Why Did China Reform Its Death Penalty?

Authors

Kandis Scott

Abstract

China recently reformed its death penalty laws, and as a result the government has executed fewer prisoners. The author explores possible reasons and policy concerns behind China's legal reform. These influences include international forces and domestic factors, such as the media, changed circumstances, compassion, and politics. Although hardly transparent, the underlying motivations for the revisions suggest that eventually China may abolish capital punishment, perhaps even before the United States does so.

First Page

63

Recommended Citation

Kandis Scott, Why Did China Reform Its Death Penalty?, 19 Pac. Rim L & Pol'y J. 63 (2010).
Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wilj/vol19/iss1/3