In What States Is Capital Punishment Illegal?
Capital punishment is administered in a number of states, but its practice remains controversial. Since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court's decision in Furman v. Georgia in 1976, it has been the subject of intense debate over its morality and impact. A number of states have done away with or imposed a moratorium on capital punishment. As of this writing, only 24 nations still permit the death penalty, including China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
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States That Disallow Capital Punishment
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States in which capital punishment is not permitted include Alaska, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin and Vermont.
States That Allow Capital Punishment
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The rest of the states permit the death penalty. Specifically, these include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming. The federal government also permits the death penalty for federal crimes. Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories make their own determination; in Puerto Rico, for example, the death penalty is illegal.
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Frequency of Executions
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Since 1976, the number of annual executions increased steadily until peaking in 1999, when the death penalty was administered to 98 individuals. Since then, the number has been on the decline (as of this writing). The states that have performed the most executions since 1976 include Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida and Missouri (in that order).
Reasons for Disallowing the Death Penalty
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States that have banned the death penalty have done so for different reasons. Critics say that capital punishment is inherently unethical and may even constitute "cruel and unusual punishment." There is no conclusive link between capital punishment and crime deterrence. Other arguments don't object to the morality of capital punishment per se but argue that the criminal justice system is sufficiently flawed to warrant a ban. Critics point to problems with convictions in criminal trials (involving witness mis-identification, unreliable government witnesses and coerced or forced confessions by suspects.) A number of death row inmates have been exonerated with DNA evidence. In 1999, the state of Illinois imposed a moratorium on executions after the governor declared the death penalty system to be "fraught with errors."
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References
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