- 140 countries have abolished the death penalty in law and in practice, the United States and North Korea are just two of the exceptions, and are leading in the number of convicted criminals being punished.
- Total number of executions since 1976: 1,392
- Current number of Death Row inmates: 3,035
- Number of people released from death row with evidence of their innocence: 130
- On average, 35 inmates are put to death in the United States each year
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Definitions of Capitol Punishment and Death Row:
- Capital Punishment: Capital punishment refers to the process of sentencing convicted offenders to death for the most serious crimes (capital crimes) and carrying out that sentence. The specific offenses and circumstances which determine if a crime (usually murder) is eligible for a death sentence are defined by statute and are prescribed by Congress or any state legislature.
- Death Row: Death row refers to incarcerated persons who have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution (as in "inmates on death row"). Historically, death row was a slang term which referred to the area of a prison in which prisoners who were under a sentence of death were housed. Usage of the term continues despite the fact that many states do not maintain a separate unit or facility for condemned inmates.