10 facts about the death penalty in the U.S.
Here’s a closer look at public opinion on the death penalty, as well as key facts about the nation’s use of capital punishment.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Here’s a closer look at public opinion on the death penalty, as well as key facts about the nation’s use of capital punishment.
Attitudes vary considerably by race on issues including crime, policing, the death penalty, parole decisions and voting rights.
More than a third of the states that allow executions haven’t carried one out in at least 10 years or, in some cases, much longer.
Just five states – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Missouri and Texas – accounted for all 20 executions in the U.S. in 2016.
While most Americans continue to favor the death penalty for murder convictions, far fewer people are receiving death sentences than in years past.
Over the past half-century, public support for the death penalty has generally tracked increases and declines in rates of violent crime.
Faced with overcrowded prisons and soaring correctional costs, states are rethinking how to define and punish drug crimes.
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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.
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