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What to Know: Innocence and the Death Penalty
DPI’s “What to Know” series examines capital punishment from multiple angles, one topic at a time. Each installment provides essential facts and data on specific aspects of the death penalty. **Why it matters:** The death penalty is an irreversible punishment, and the United States has convicted, condemned, and in some cases executed
Murder Victim’s Daughter and Faith Leaders Urge Kansas Governor to Commute Death Sentences
In a July 8, 2026 op-ed published in the *Kansas Reflector*, Celeste Dixon, a retired U.S. Navy reservist and National Park Service employee who lives in Pawnee County, Kansas, calls on Governor Laura Kelly to commute the sentences of the nine men on Kansas’ death row to life without parole. Writing from personal experience, Ms. Dixon notes that nea
Nearly 71 Years After Her Execution, Ruth Ellis, the Last Woman Executed in the UK, Receives Conditional Pardon from King Charles
On July 8, 2026, King Charles, following the advice of Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, granted a posthumous conditional pardon to Ruth Ellis, converting her death sentence to a term of life imprisonment. Ms. Ellis was originally sentenced to death for the April 10, 1955 murder of her romantic partner David Blakely, and she was the last
What to Know: Clemency and the Death Penalty
DPI’s “What to Know” series examines capital punishment from multiple angles, one topic at a time. Each installment provides essential facts and data on specific aspects of the death penalty. This installment looks at clemency: what it is, who holds the power, and how often it changes the outcome of a capital case. **Why it matters:** The
Alabama Federal Judges Block State from Using Nitrogen Gas to Execute Jeffery Lee
\Update 9:17pm ET, June 11, 2026: [The U.S. Supreme Court denied Alabama’s appeal. Mr. Lee’s execution will not proceed as scheduled.\] On June 9, 2026, an Alabama federal district judge “permanently enjoined” state officials from using nitrogen gas to execute death-sentenced prisoner Jeffery Lee after finding that the state’s nitrogen exe
Amnesty International Global Report (2025): 78% Increase in Executions Globally Mark Highest Number Since 1981
According to Amnesty International’s annual death penalty report, 17 countries carried out a total of at least 2,707 executions in 2025. Although the low number of executing countries was consistent with the annual total of 20 executing countries or fewer since 2018, the number of executions marked the highest global total since 1981. T
California Racial Justice Act Results in Death Sentence Reversal for Black Man Characterized by Prosecutors as a 'Bengal Tiger'
On June 1, 2026, the California Supreme Court reversed the death sentence of Anthony Bankston under the retroactive application of the California Racial Justice Act (CRJA) – the first capital punishment reversal under this Act in California’s history. The opinion asserts: > “In light of the passage of the RJA, we now make clear that, whatever t
New Poll Shows More Americans View the Death Penalty as Morally Unacceptable
The percentage of Americans who find the death penalty morally unacceptable has risen to 39%, while the percentage who find it acceptable has fallen to a record low, according to a new poll released by Gallup on June 9, 2026. A slight majority (52%) of respondents to Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll said that they still consider the d
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Consider Fairness of Hypnotizing Key Prosecution Witness in Texas Death Penalty Case
On June 15, 2026, the United States Supreme Court declined to consider the appeal of Texas death-sentenced prisoner Charles Flores, whose death sentence was obtained through the use of a hypnotized prosecution witness. Mr. Flores has spent more than 25 years on death row for a murder he maintains he did not commit. His conviction relied on t
Former Death Penalty Supporter Ohio Governor Mike DeWine Urges Abolition of the Death Penalty
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (pictured), a Republican, said on June 16, 2026 that he now believes Ohio should abolish the death penalty. Gov. DeWine helped to write the state’s death penalty law while serving as a state legislator in 1981, but has halted executions during his time as governor, citing concerns about the state’s lethal injection p
States Continue to Push for Execution Secrecy Amid Legal Challenges
For the past 15 years, as state after state has passed execution secrecy laws, the public has faced more questions than answers about how elected officials use their taxpayer dollars for the most serious punishment. Every active death penalty state now has a law shielding key information about executions, such as the source of lethal injec
“Epic Fail”: Researchers Find Systemic Problems Persist, with Fewer Than 1 in 5 Death Sentences Ending in Execution
An in-depth analysis published by The Marshall Project, in partnership with The Guardian, finds that 50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision in *Gregg v. Georgia*, the American death penalty has failed to deliver on the measures its architects outlined. Drawing on data gathered by University of North Carolina professor Frank B
Jordan Resumes Executions After 9-Year Hiatus with the Hanging of 6 Men
On June 21, 2026, Jordan performed its first executions since March 2017, hanging six men convicted of terrorism-related or drug-trafficking charges on a single day, all accused of directly or indirectly causing the deaths of law enforcement or security forces. On the same day the executions were carried out, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan
“The Last 12 Weeks” Podcast Illuminates the Work of a Texas Capital Defense Team
On June 18, 2026, *The Marshall Project* released “The Last 12 Weeks,” a podcast series detailing the weeks leading up to David Wood’s 2025 execution date in Texas. The series follows Mr. Wood’s defense team as they re-investigate his case and identify evidence overlooked by state prosecutors at trial. Hosted and reported by Maurice Chammah
Two Former Death-Sentenced Californians Seek Compensation Over Official Misconduct
Two former California death-sentenced prisoners, Ernest Dykes and Curtis Ervin, have filed lawsuits against Alameda County, accusing the District Attorney’s office of “set\[ting\] out to rig the juries” in their capital cases. Both men were released from prison after their death sentences were reduced because of the discovery of unconstitutio
Florida Executes Oldest Prisoner in Modern State History and is Set to Break That Record Once Again
Florida executed Dusty Ray Spencer on June 25, 2026, making him the oldest person put to death in the state since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976. Mr. Spencer, 74, was the ninth person executed in Florida in 2026, following a record of 19 executions in 2025. The state has scheduled two executions for July: Dennis Sochor,
Death Penalty Information Center Brings Expertise to Global Stage at 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty
As global experts gather in Paris this week to examine the state of capital punishment worldwide, the Death Penalty Information Center will be among them, as a source of authoritative data and research on how the death penalty is operating in the United States. The 9th World Congress Against the Death Penalty, organized by ECPM (Ensemble Contr
DPI Podcast 12:01 Marks 50 Years Since Gregg v. Georgia, Examining the Decision's Legacy and Unfulfilled Promises
In the July 2026 episode of *12:01: The Death Penalty in Context*, DPI’s Executive Director Robin M. Maher speaks with Samuel Spital, Associate Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF). To mark the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in *Gregg v. Georgia,* they explore the history of the landmark case, the pivotal role played
Louisiana Supreme Court Affirms Lower Court’s Vacatur and Factual Innocence Finding for Former Death-Sentenced Man, Jimmie Duncan
On June 29, 2026, the Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed a lower court’s decision finding Jimmie Duncan factually innocent and vacating his first-degree murder conviction and death sentence. Mr. Duncan was sentenced to death for the 1993 death of his girlfriend’s toddler, Haley Oliveaux, largely based on faulty bite mark evidence. In April 2025
Tennessee Republican State Senators Call on Governor Lee to Review the “Incompetent Administration” Leading to the Botched Execution of Tony Carruthers
In a letter dated June 25, 2026, a group of nine Tennessee Republican senators called on Governor Bill Lee to commission an independent review of the failed execution of Tony Carruthers, to order the correction of “every deficiency” found in this review, and to make information about the execution team publicly available “so that the De