Death Penalty Information Center

Pulling back the curtain on the death penalty for more than 35 years.

Data. Analysis. Context.

The death penalty is complicated,
but telling the truth is not.

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Created Sept 25

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The Death Penalty in 2025: Majority of Capital Juries in 2025 Rejected Death Sentences Read Now

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Latest News

Death Row July 2, 2026 DPI Podcast 12:01 Marks 50 Years Since Gregg v. Georgia, Examining the Decision's Legacy and Unfulfilled Promises

International July 1, 2026 Death Penalty Information Center Brings Expertise to Global Stage at 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty

Upcoming Executions June 30, 2026 Florida Executes Oldest Prisoner in Modern State History and is Set to Break That Record Once Again

Costs June 29, 2026 Two Former Death-Sentenced Californians Seek Compensation Over Official Misconduct

Legal Representation June 25, 2026 “The Last 12 Weeks” Podcast Illuminates the Work of a Texas Capital Defense Team

International June 24, 2026 Jordan Resumes Executions After 9-Year Hiatus with the Hanging of 6 Men

Arbitrariness June 23, 2026 “Epic Fail”: Researchers Find Systemic Problems Persist, with Fewer Than 1 in 5 Death Sentences Ending in Execution

Executions June 22, 2026 States Continue to Push for Execution Secrecy Amid Legal Challenges

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Explore our databases

Innocence Database Since 1973, at least 202 people wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated.

Execution Database 1670 men and women have been executed in the United States since the 1970s

Death Penalty Census The Census currently lists more than 9966 sentences imposed between 1972 and January 1, 2025.

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Federal Death Penalty Read Now

Methods of Execution Read Now

United States Supreme Court Read Now

12:01 The Death Penalty in Context

Sam Spital on 50 Years Since Gregg v. Georgia and Examining the Decision’s Legacy and Unfulfilled Promises

In the July 2026 episode of *12:01: The Death Penalty in Context*, DPI’s Executive Director Robin M. Maher speaks with Samuel Spital, Associate Director...

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Sam Spital on 50 Years Since Gregg v. Georgia and Examining the Decision's Legacy and Unfulfilled Promises

Featured Research & Reports

New Voices June 18, 2026 Former Death Penalty Supporter Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Urges Abolition of the Death Penalty

Public Opinion June 16, 2026 New Poll Shows More Americans View the Death Penalty as Morally Unacceptable

Methods of Execution June 11, 2026 Alabama Federal Judges Block State from Using Nitrogen Gas to Execute Jeffery Lee

Racial Justice Reports May 21, 2026 Examining South Carolina’s History of Racial Violence and Capital Punishment

Year-End Reports December 15, 2025 The Death Penalty in 2025

In-Depth Reports November 10, 2025 Forgotten Service, Lasting Wounds: Military Veterans and the Death Penalty

Racial Justice Reports June 16, 2023 Doomed to Repeat: The Legacy of Race in Tennessee's Contemporary Death Penalty