More Americans Believe Death Penalty Applied Unfairly, Report Finds

Despite declining use and support, capital punishment remains entrenched in some states.

According to a recent Gallup poll, for the first time, more Americans believe the death penalty is applied unfairly, with 50% holding this view compared to 47% who believe it is fairly implemented.
In 2023, there were 24 executions in the U.S., and 21 people were sentenced to death, marking the ninth consecutive year where fewer than 30 people were executed and fewer than 50 people received death sentences.
Only five states — Texas, Florida, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Alabama — conducted executions this year, the lowest number in 20 years.
Nearly 200 death row exonerations since 1975, including three in 2023, have contributed to changing public opinion about the fairness of the death penalty.
Despite declining support, the death penalty remains deeply entrenched in some states, with Florida enacting two new death penalty laws this year, one of which allows the death penalty in child rape convictions, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling banning capital punishment in such cases.