Death Penalty Information Center

Death Penalty Information Center

Innocence Database Since 1973, at least 203 people wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated. Execution Database 1686 men and women have been executed in the United ...
Death Penalty Information Center

President Trump Announces the Military Will Not Publicly Livestream Nidal Hasan’s Execution

On October 7, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in a media interview that Nidal Hasan’s execution would be ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Tennessee Botches Another Execution Despite Earlier Warnings from Attorneys; Christa Pike Was Alive Hours After Attempt Began

Christa Pike remained alive more than an hour after the state of Tennessee began its attempt to execute her on September 30, 2026. It was the latest in a series of troubled executions by the Tennessee ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Governor Bill Lee Denies Clemency for Christa Pike, Refusing to Stop Tennessee’s First Execution of a Woman in More Than 200 Years

On September 28, 2026, Governor Bill Lee denied a clemency request from death-sentenced prisoner Christa Pike, who is scheduled to be executed on September 30. Gov. Lee announced, “[a]fter deliberate ...
Death Penalty Information Center

New Death Sentences for Defendants Under Age 21 Have Virtually Vanished — Yet Three of Them Are Scheduled for Execution This Month

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roper v. Simmons (2005) relied on scientific evidence of incomplete brain development and the growing reluctance of state and international lawmakers to permit ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Tennessee Court Holds Multi-Day Hearing on Christa Pike’s Lethal Injection Challenge

UPDATE: The three-day evidentiary hearing concluded on August 13. Testimony centered on three contested issues: whether Ms. Pike’s thrombocytosis creates an unconstitutional risk of IV complications ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Florida Sets Two Executions for the Same Day, Ignoring Serious Concerns About the Innocence of One Man and Elderly Status of the Second Man

Mr. Duckett was set to be executed on March 31, 2026, but five days before his scheduled execution, the Supreme Court of Florida stayed his execution date pending the completion of DNA testing which ...
Death Penalty Information Center

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 ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Article of Interest: Richard Glossip, Released on Bail Pending Retrial, Describes His First Days Outside Prison in Nearly 30 Years

After facing nine execution dates, and being given three last meals, Richard Glossip was released on bail on May 14, 2026 and set foot outside of prison walls for the first time in nearly three ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Tennessee’s Botched Execution of Tony Carruthers Raises Questions About Medical Qualifications Among Concerns with Innocence and Due Process

Tennessee’s attempt to execute Tony Carruthers on May 21, 2026, failed after execution team members could not establish an intravenous line after more than an hour of attempts, prompting Governor Bill ...
Death Penalty Information Center

Ohio Court Vacates Charles Maxwell’s Death Sentence Under State’s Serious Mental Illness Law

On April 7, 2026, a Cuyahoga County judge vacated the death sentence of Charles Maxwell and ordered his resentencing to life in prison without the possibility of parole. After an evidentiary hearing, ...