Death Penalty in the Philippines: Evidence on Economics and Efficacy

Abstract

In his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte called on Congress to swiftly pass the bill reinstating the death penalty, specifically for heinous drug-related crimes specified under the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002. Pro-death penalty lawmakers and advocates in the country have long argued that the death penalty will deter criminality. However, the literature suggests that there is still no clear and credible empirical evidence to back the argument that the death penalty is a crime deterrent. Furthermore, this paper examined the potential drivers of the growing death penalty support in the Philippines and the possible implications of reinstating the death penalty in the current state of the country’s justice system and economy.

Keywords: death penalty, criminality, selective justice system, human rights

JEL Classification: D63, K14, K38