Capital Punishment

It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon, and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically non-existent.

John Paul II
Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), 56

Resources:

US Conference of Catholic Bishops on Capital Punishment

US Conference of Catholic Bishops on Capital Punishment

US Conference of Catholic Bishops Campaign to End the Use of the Death Penalty
This page includes facts, advocacy, episcopal statements, news, press releases andcampaign information. See the United States’ Bishops’Statement on the Death Penalty at:

http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/national/penaltyofdeath.pdf
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Abolition of the Death Penalty: an intervention by Archbishop Renato Martino, Apostolic Nuncio to the United Nations

You can find further resources on Capital Punishment presented by the New York Catholic Conference at http://www.cacp.org/resources.html