The lethal injection chamber at the Oklahoma State Penintentiary, May 7, 2010. Credit: Josh Rushing via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Dec 29, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
AriseinexecutionsintheUnitedStatesin2025occurredalongside“shiftingpublicopinion”againstthedeathpenalty,offeringanti-death-penaltyadvocatesahopefulsigngoinginto2026evenamidhighlevelsofcapitalpunishment.
TheDeathPenaltyInformationCenter,anonprofitgroupthattracksandcatalogsexecutionsintheUnitedStates,saidinitsyear-endreportthat48prisonerswereexecutedintheU.S.in2025,upfrom25theyearbefore.
Thenear-100%increaseinexecutionswasdriveninlargepartbyFlorida,whichat19executionscountedforabout40%oftheyear’stotal,thegroupnoted.
Theyearalsosawtheexpandeduseofacontroversialmethodofexecution,thatofnitrogengas.LouisianaandAlabamabothkilledtwocondemnedprisonersusingthismethod,whichadvocateshavesaidposestheriskofaslow,agonizingdeath.AlabamamurdererAnthonyBoydreportedlytookaround20minutestodieduringhisexecutionbygas.
SouthCarolinaexecutedtwoinmatesbyfiringsquad,thefirsts
