Latest Capital Punishment News
Only 58 countries in the world still regularly impose the death penalty, but it is widely accepted in the United States. Public opinion polls show that between 60 and 60 percent of Americans approve the use of the death penalty in some cases. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, about 85 percent of executions occur in the south - half of them in Texas.
Amnesty International reports that 52 people were executed in the United States in 2009 - the bulk by lethal injection. In the summer of 2010, Utah put Ronnie Lee Gardner, convicted of murdering a bartender and an attorney during an escape attempt, to death by firing squad, the first time the method was used since 1996. The case reopened the debate about the use of the death penalty and whether or not some methods are inhumane.
Death penalty cases are notoriously expensive to prosecute because of the number of appeals involved. CBS "Sunday Morning" recently reported that since the advent of DNA evidence, 17 prisoners on death row had been found innocent and released.
So why do so many Americans support the death penalty?
New York Law School professor Robert Blecker told "Sunday Morning" it is because "some people deserve to die, and we have an obligation to kill them."
Whether you are interested in reading more about death penalty controversies or high-profile cases where capital punishment is a factor, check out the latest reports and video below.
- Play CBS Video Susan Sarandon calls Pope a Nazi
- Play CBS Video DA seeks death penalty for salon shooter
- Play CBS Video Defying belief, defying gravity
- Play CBS Video GOP mood toward Obama's job plan
- Play CBS Video Perry comes out swinging in his first GOP debate
- Play CBS Video The Execution of Timothy Mc Veigh (2 parts)
- Play CBS Video Rick Perry defends Texas death penalty record
- Play CBS Video Casey Anthony will not testify, defense rests
- Play CBS Video Evening News Online, 04.04.11
- Seal Beach shooting suspect had rough life
Scott Dekraai, charged with killing 9 people at beauty salon, struggled with debilitating leg injury, PTSD and custody battle
Read Full Story » - Death penalty sought in Seal Beach massacre
Prosecutors call man arrested in shooting deaths of 8 people "methodical and merciless killer"; Suspect's ex-wife among dead
Read Full Story » - Fla. lawmaker wants to bring back firing squads
Fla. lawmaker wants to bring back firing squads
Read Full Story » - More than 1,000 attend Troy Davis funeral
Family members, supporters mourn Death Row inmate executed by Georgia for murder of policeman despite his pleas of innocence
Read Full Story » - Fla. man executed amid injection controversy
Manuel Valle was put to death for killing a police officer 33 years ago; New lethal cocktail used
Read Full Story » - Drawing wrong lessons from the Troy Davis execution
Why death penalty opponents are closer to realizing their goal than they might realize
Read Full Story » - Troy Davis execution fuels eyewitness ID debate
Troy Davis execution fuels eyewitness ID debate
Read Full Story » - Troy Davis execution fuels eyewitness ID debate
Troy Davis execution fuels eyewitness ID debate
Read Full Story » - Death penalty support at 20-year low
Sixty percent of Americans favor the death penalty for convicted murderers, while 27 percent are opposed, CBS/NYT poll shows
Read Blog » - Texas ends special last meals on death row
After a notorious death row inmate demands a massive last meal and doesn't eat it, Texas stops the special practice
Read Full Story » - Carter: Davis execution shows system is "unjust"
Former President Jimmy Carter says U.S. death penalty system "outdated" in wake of Troy Davis execution
Read Full Story » - White supremacist executed for dragging death
Texas executes Lawrence Russell Brewer, white supremacist gang member in infamous dragging death slaying of James Byrd Jr.
Read Full Story » - U.S. executions, by the numbers
The recent high profile death row cases involving the U.S. Supreme Court put the spotlight on capital punishment again
Read Full Story » - Polygraph for Troy Davis blocked, attorney says
Death-row inmate's attorney says Ga. prison officials denied request for polygraph test hours before scheduled execution
Read Full Story » - Troy Davis' lawyers filing execution-day appeal
Death-row inmate's attorneys seek to halt execution hours before man put to death; Demonstrations planned outside U.S. embassies
Read Full Story »