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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Innocence March 27, 2025 U.S. Supreme Court Denies Review in Texas Faulty DNA Evidence Case, Despite Prosecutor Confession of Error
Costs March 25, 2025 Records Show Tennessee Officials Have Spent Nearly $600,000 of Taxpayer Funds for Lethal Injection Drugs Since 2017
Executions March 24, 2025 Four Executions in Three Days Spotlight Constitutional Concerns About Death Penalty
Innocence March 20, 2025 DPI’s Podcast 12:01 The Death Penalty in Context: Sabrina Butler-Smith on Wrongful Convictions and Motherhood
Methods of Execution March 19, 2025 Louisiana Resumes Executions After 15-Year Hiatus with First Nitrogen Gas Execution
Lethal Injection March 18, 2025 Nine Tennessee Death Row Prisoners Challenge State’s One-Drug Lethal Injection Protocol, Citing “High Risk of Torturous Death”
Methods of Execution March 17, 2025 Idaho Governor Signs Legislation Authorizing Firing Squad as State’s Primary Execution Method
Youth March 13, 2025 Articles of Interest: What Experts are Saying About Emerging Adult Behavioral Development Since Roper v. Simmons
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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 1617 men and women have been executed in the United States since the 1970s
Death Penalty Census The Census currently lists more than 9919 sentences imposed between 1972 and January 1, 2025.

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Innocence

12:01 The Death Penalty in Context: Sabrina Butler-Smith on Wrongful Convictions and Motherhood

In this month’s pod­cast episode of *12:01 The Death Penalty in Context*, DPI’s Managing Director Anne Holsinger speaks with Sabrina Butler-Smith...

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Sabrina Butler-Smith on Wrongful Convictions and Motherhood

Featured Research & Reports

Innocence February 25, 2025 U.S. Supreme Court Rules Prosecutors Violated Ethical Responsibilities in Richard Glossip’s Case, Orders a New Trial Sentencing Alternatives February 11, 2025 State Spotlight: California Death Row Shrinks Sharply in 2024, Driven by the Resentencing of At Least 45 People to Life Sentences or Less Race February 7, 2025 Judge Finds Race Plays a “Significant Role” in Death Sentences in Three North Carolina Counties Federal Death Penalty January 21, 2025 Among Flurry of First-Day Executive Orders, President Trump Issues Order on the Death Penalty Year-End Reports December 19, 2024 The Death Penalty in 2024 Racial Justice Reports November 14, 2024 Fool's Gold: How the Federal Death Penalty Has Perpetuated Racially Discriminatory Practices Throughout History 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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