The Abolishment of the Death Penalty
In the 1940s, the death penalty was widely accepted, with only a few groups considered controversial for opposing it. Timothy Evans’s wrongful execution for a crime he did not commit became a prominent rallying point in the campaign to abolish capital punishment, gaining increasing support.
The miscarriage of justice, particularly the execution of an innocent man by the state, provided a compelling narrative for the campaign. It garnered momentum and eventually succeeded. In 1969, capital punishment was abolished in England and Wales.
