The Death Penalty in 2024: Death Sentences and Executions Remain Near Historic Lows Amid Growing Concerns about Fairness and Innocence Read Now
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Federal Death Penalty January 21, 2025 Among Flurry of First-Day Executive Orders, President Trump Issues Order on the Death Penalty On January 20, 2025, President Donald Trump signed more than two dozen Executive Orders, includ­ing a call to ​“restore” the fed­er­al death penal­ty. The Order, while lack­ing many impor­tant details, instructs the Department of Justice’s Attorney General to ​“pur­sue the death penal­ty for all crimes of a sever­i­ty demand­ing its use,” includ­ing the killing of a law enforce­ment offi­cer or ​“a cap­i­tal crime com­mit­ted by an ille­gal…
State & Federal Info January 30, 2025 Arizona’s Hourly Compensation for Post-Conviction Capital Counsel Found Inadequate for Certification by Outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland
Executions January 29, 2025 12:01: The Death Penalty in Context — The Death Penalty in 2024
News January 28, 2025 Death Penalty Documentary Nominated for Academy Award
Victims' Families January 27, 2025 Federal Appeals Court Allows Arizona to Limit Victim Contact
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DPI is a national non-profit organization providing news, data, and facts about the death penalty.

With over 20 special reports on issues including innocence, race, arbitrariness, and costs, DPI’s work has informed and shaped the national discussion on this critical issue.

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Innocence Database Since 1973, at least 200 people wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated.
Execution Database 1,607 men and women have been executed in the United States since the 1970s
Death Penalty Census The Census currently lists more than 9,917 sentences imposed between 1972 and January 1, 2025.

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12:01 The Death Penalty in Context: The Death Penalty in 2024

In this month’s episode of 12:01: The Death Penalty in Context, Managing Director Anne Holsinger speaks with DPI Communications Associate Hayley...

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The Death Penalty in 2024

Featured Research & Reports

Year-End Reports December 19, 2024 The Death Penalty in 2024 Mental Illness December 5, 2024 Hidden Casualties: Executions Harm Mental Health of Prison Staff Secrecy November 22, 2024 New Resource: In Era of Secrecy, States Increasingly Restrict Media Access to Executions Racial Justice Reports November 14, 2024 Fool's Gold: How the Federal Death Penalty Has Perpetuated Racially Discriminatory Practices Throughout History Mental Illness October 24, 2024 New Analysis: Death-Sentenced Prisoners “Volunteer” for Execution at Ten Times Civilian Suicide Rate Execution Database September 27, 2024 United States Reaches 1600 Executions, Demonstrating Disconnect Between Elected Officials and Declining Public Support In-Depth Reports July 1, 2024 Lethal Election: How the U.S. Electoral Process Increases the Arbitrariness of the Death Penalty Racial Justice Reports May 14, 2024 Broken Promises: How a History of Racial Violence and Bias Shaped Ohio's Death Penalty

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