In the United States, about half of all the states still exercise the death penalty. After it had been suspended by the US Supreme Court, the highest court of the country overturned its ruling in 1976 and stated that the death penalty corresponded with the constitution. Since then over 1300 executions have been carried out. Although California is the state with the most death row inmates, Texas has carried out the most executions of all American states.

After the turn of the millennium, some states reviewed their attitude towards capital punishment. Illinois, for example, declared that there would be no further executions after a series of cases had shown that some defendants were wrongfully convicted or innocent.

In 2005 the American Supreme Court ruled that executing a mentally disabled person was against the constitution.



Death penalty in the US - state by state

Death Penalty in the US (2025)

Image: Courtesy of Death Penalty Information Center -
 https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state



Words

  • attitude = here : the official position
  • constitution = set of rules and laws that a country is organized by
  • convict = to prove or officially announce that someone is guilty
  • correspond = to be in agreement with
  • death row = cells of a prison in which people who are waiting to be executed are locked up
  • declare = to say officially
  • defendant = person who is charged with a crime
  • exercise = here: carry out
  • further = more
  • inmate = prisoner
  • innocent = not guilty
  • mentally disabled = person whose brain does not function correctly ; they cannot make correct decisions
  • millennium = the beginning of a new thousand -year period
  • overturn = reverse, decide differently
  • review = to think about something again
  • ruling = decision
  • suspend = interrupt, stop until further notice