Alternatives to the death penalty: Information pack

This publication provides an overview of sentencing options used as alternatives to the death penalty, with a particular focus on life and long-term imprisonment. It examines current global trends and assesses their compatibility with international and regional human rights standards, offering practical guidance to support fair, proportionate and humane responses to the most serious crimes. 

Co-published by PRI, member of the EU-funded Global Consortium for Death Penalty Abolition, and the Life Imprisonment Worldwide project, the information pack draws on comparative international research and examples of good practice. It explores the growing reliance on life imprisonment, its impact on specific populations, and the broader human rights and social consequences of long-term imprisonment. 

Set against the global movement towards abolition, the publication highlights the risks of replacing the death penalty with excessively severe sanctions, including life imprisonment without the possibility of release. It underscores the importance of human dignity, rehabilitation and the ‘right to hope’, and concludes with practical steps to guide states in developing effective, human rights-compliant alternatives to the death penalty.

This edition was published in 2026 and replaces the first edition published in 2015.

Funded by the European Union.