You’ve probably seen the headlines. One week, a state is scrambling to find lethal injection drugs because a European pharma company refuses to sell them. The next week, another country is carrying out a mass execution. It makes people wonder: does capital punishment still exist in a world that’s supposedly becoming more civilized?
The short answer is yes. It definitely still exists. But it’s not the same world it was thirty years ago.
Honestly, the map of where the death penalty still lives looks like a patchwork quilt that’s been shredded and sewn back together. Some places have it on the books but never use it. Others use it so much they don't even track the numbers publicly. It's a heavy topic. It’s a legal minefield. And for the families of victims and the people on death row, it's the only thing that matters.
The global split: Who is still executing?
If you look at the data from groups like Amnesty International or the Death Penalty Information Center, you’ll see a massive divide. Most of the world has moved on. Over 100 countries have completely abolished it for all crimes. But a handful of "retentionist" nations keep the global average high.
China is the big outlier. They don’t release their numbers. It’s a state secret. However, human rights monitors estimate they execute thousands of people every year. Then you have Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. These countries account for the vast majority of confirmed executions worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, for instance, beheadings are still a thing. It sounds like something out of a history book, but it’s happening in 2026.
Then there’s the United States.
We’re basically the only G7 nation that still uses the death penalty. It’s a weird spot to be in. Our closest allies—the UK, France, Germany—view it as a human rights violation. Yet, in various corners of America, it remains a core part of the justice system.
The American landscape is shifting fast
Wait, is it actually still happening in the US?
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Yes, but it's concentrated. If you live in California, there hasn't been an execution since 2006, even though hundreds of people are technically on death row. Governor Gavin Newsom put a moratorium on it years ago. On the flip side, states like Texas, Alabama, and Oklahoma aren't slowing down. They are the engines of the American death penalty.
In 2024 and 2025, we saw a strange trend: the return of "old" methods. Why? Because the "humane" ones are breaking.
The nitrogen gas experiment
For decades, lethal injection was the gold standard. It was supposed to be clinical. Medical. But then, drug companies—mostly in Europe—stopped wanting their products associated with killing people. They cut off the supply of sodium thiopental and pentobarbital.
States got desperate.
Alabama recently made international news by using nitrogen hypoxia. Basically, they make the person breathe pure nitrogen until they suffocate. The first time they did it with Kenneth Smith in early 2024, witnesses said it wasn't the "quick and painless" death the state promised. It took a long time. It was violent. This is the kind of stuff that keeps the debate over whether capital punishment still exists in a legal "cruel and unusual" limbo.
The legal wall
The Supreme Court is the ultimate referee here. Back in 1972, in a case called Furman v. Georgia, they actually stopped the death penalty because it was being applied so inconsistently. It was like being struck by lightning—random and unfair. But then, just four years later, they brought it back with Gregg v. Georgia.
Since then, the Court has slowly chipped away at who can be executed:
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- No one with "intellectual disabilities" (Atkins v. Virginia).
- No one who was under 18 when they committed the crime (Roper v. Simmons).
- No one for a crime that didn't involve murder (mostly).
Why do we still do it?
Ask a prosecutor in a capital case, and they’ll talk about "the worst of the worst." That’s the phrase you hear constantly. They argue that some crimes—serial killings, domestic terrorism, horrific child abuse—are so beyond the pale that the only just response is the ultimate price.
Retribution is a powerful human urge.
But does it actually stop crime? Most criminologists say no. The "deterrence" argument has basically been debunked by decades of research. States with the death penalty don't have lower murder rates than states without it. In fact, sometimes it's the opposite.
Then there's the money. People think killing a prisoner is cheaper than feeding them for 40 years. They're wrong. Because the legal process is so long and the appeals are so intense, a death penalty case usually costs the taxpayer way more than a "life without parole" sentence. We're talking millions of dollars in extra legal fees and specialized housing.
The innocence problem
This is the one that keeps people up at night.
Since 1973, at least 197 people have been exonerated from death row in the US. They were innocent. They were waiting to die for something they didn't do.
DNA evidence changed everything. It showed us that eyewitnesses lie, forensics can be junk science, and sometimes the system just wants a win more than it wants the truth. If the system is 99% accurate, that 1% error rate is still a dead innocent person. For many people, that's the end of the conversation. You can't undo an execution.
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Public opinion is a see-saw
If you poll Americans, support for the death penalty is at its lowest point in about 50 years. But it’s still over 50%. It’s a thin majority. Most people support it "in theory" for monsters, but when you get into the nitty-gritty of botched executions and the risk of killing an innocent person, that support starts to wobble.
Younger generations? They aren't into it. Gen Z and Millennials are much more likely to favor life sentences over the chair or the needle. This demographic shift is why many experts think that while capital punishment still exists today, it might be a relic within our lifetime.
What happens next?
The fight is moving to the state houses. Virginia, a state that used to be a leader in executions, abolished it recently. That was huge. It was the first Southern state to do so.
If you're trying to figure out where this is going, watch the "Red" states. Even there, some conservative lawmakers are starting to turn against the death penalty. Not because they're "soft on crime," but because they're "pro-life" or they hate how much the government spends on the appeals process. It's a weird political realignment.
Also, keep an eye on the international courts. As the US stays an outlier, it gets harder for our diplomats to lecture other countries about human rights. It’s a point of friction that doesn't go away.
Actionable steps for the curious
If you want to look deeper into whether capital punishment still exists in your backyard or how you can get involved in the discussion, here’s where to go:
- Check your state's status. Use the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) website. They have an interactive map that shows which states have it, which have a moratorium, and which have abolished it.
- Read the trial transcripts. Don't just follow the news. Look at a case like Richard Glossip in Oklahoma. It’s a rabbit hole of staying power, political pressure, and questionable evidence.
- Follow the money. Look up your local Department of Corrections budget. See what the "cost per inmate" is for death row versus the general population. The numbers might surprise you.
- Volunteer or donate. Organizations like the Innocence Project work to free the wrongly convicted, while the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty focuses on the legislative side.
- Engage in the jury process. If you’re ever called for a capital case, your "death qualification"—whether or not you can even consider the death penalty—will determine if you can serve. Understanding your own stance before you're in that box is vital.
The death penalty is a mirror. It reflects what a society believes about justice, mercy, and the power of the state. Whether it stays or goes isn't just a legal question; it's a question of who we want to be.