Death penalty: U.S. carried out historically few executions in 2022, but 1 in 3 were 'botched'

Lethal Injection chamber
(Image credit: California Dept. of Corrections & Rehabilitation via Getty Images)

Capital punishment fell further out of favor in the U.S. in 2022, with public support continuing its decade-long slide and the states that still use the death penalty carrying out historically few executions, the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) said Thursday in its annual survey.

This year's 18 executions — a 31-year low, excluding the two pandemic years — were clustered in just six states, and more than half were carried out in Texas (five) and Oklahoma (five). Seven of the 20 attempts to execute prisoners were shockingly, visibly problematic, DPIC Executive Director Robert Dunham said. "You can call this year the year of the botched execution." Two executions were ultimately abandoned.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.