The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) released its 2026 Mid-Year Report, indicating that American juries continue to reject death sentences even as state officials pursue efforts to expand capital punishment and insulate its administration from public oversight. The report further detailed significant racial disparities and systemic deficiencies inherent in the practice of capital punishment.
Ernest Dykes and Curtis Ervin have initiated legal proceedings against the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, alleging systematic exclusion of Black and Jewish jurors from their capital trials in the 1990s. This litigation follows a federal judicial finding of unconstitutional prosecutorial misconduct, which resulted in the reduction of their death sentences.
The California Supreme Court retroactively overturned the death sentence of Anthony Bankston, a Black man, under the California Racial Justice Act, according to a report by the Death Penalty Information Center. This decision marks the first death penalty reversal under the Act, stemming from the prosecution’s use of the term “Bengal Tiger” during the sentencing phase. The court determined this language constituted racial discrimination, violating CRJA provisions against sentences based on race or ethnicity.
Tennessee’s failed execution attempt involving death row inmate Tony Carruthers has prompted renewed scrutiny concerning the state’s lethal injection procedures, the qualifications of execution personnel, and unresolved issues surrounding Carruthers’ conviction and mental health.
A recent report from the Death Penalty Information Center (DPI) details the historical role of race in South Carolina’s capital punishment system. The findings indicate that the state’s death penalty administration has disproportionately affected Black defendants for over 150 years, citing systemic racial disparities.
Attorneys for Florida death row prisoner Luke Hart have filed appeals seeking a stay of execution, contending that his original trial inadequately considered critical information regarding his mental health, brain development, and other developmental issues.
The Department of Justice released a report proposing the reinstatement and expansion of controversial federal execution methods, including firing squad, electrocution and lethal injection, despite their documented problems and questionable constitutionality.
John Wood, a death row prisoner in South Carolina, was ruled not competent for execution due to severe schizophrenia, temporarily halting the state from issuing a death warrant against him.
The Death Penalty Information Center released a report showing a continuing decline in the use of the death penalty for people ages 18-20 at the time of their offenses, highlighting shifting legal and societal views on youth and culpability.
Charles Maxwell, a person on death row convicted of murdering his child’s mother, had his death sentence overturned under Ohio’s serious mental illness law after a mental evaluation which concluded that he suffered from delusional disorder due to traumatic brain injuries.
The Death Penalty Information Center released data showing that death sentences and executions for individuals aged 18-20 at the time of their crimes continued a decades-long downward trend in 2025, with only one person in this age group sentenced to death and three executed, down from five in 2024.
A new Idaho law exempts execution procedures from judicial review and public scrutiny, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in the death penalty system.
Studies summarized by the Death Penalty Information Center indicate that the race of a victim plays an important role in death penalty sentencing outcomes, with cases involving white victims more likely to result in capital charges and death sentences than cases involving nonwhite victims.
The Death Penalty Information Center’s “What to Know” report concludes that decades of research have failed to produce credible evidence that the death penalty reduces homicide rates.
The practice of “death qualification” allows prosecutors to dismiss potential jurors who oppose the death penalty, raising concerns about fairness, racial exclusion and the integrity of capital juries.
Federal Judge Margaret M. Garnett has dismissed two counts of Luigi Mangione’s federal indictment, ruling that prosecutors cannot pursue a potential death sentence in the case tied to the killing of Brian Thompson, as the crime did not meet the criteria for a federal death penalty.
Indiana lawmakers are reconsidering the use of the firing squad as an alternative to lethal injection, amid concerns over cost, fairness and the risk of executing innocent people.
California has not executed anyone since 2006 and advocates are urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant clemency to all those sentenced to death, citing racial bias, innocence claims, and the high costs of capital punishment.
Florida carried out 19 executions in 2025, accounting for 40% of all executions nationwide, making the state the single driving force behind the increase, with the average age of those executed being 60 and many showing signs of serious mental illness, brain damage or severe childhood trauma.
Ralph Menzies, convicted of murder in 1986, has been deemed incompetent for execution due to his advanced dementia, raising constitutional concerns about the planned execution and prompting a competency hearing in December 2025.