In 2025, public support for capital punishment in the United States fell to its lowest level in five decades, with only 52 percent of the population in favor of the practice. Despite this decline in public sentiment, the number of executions is expected to reach its highest level in 15 years, with 46 executions reported so far, nearly double the 25 executions in 2024. The Death Penalty Information Center, which tracks execution trends, noted that Florida is set to conduct 19 executions, representing 40 percent of the national total for the year.

Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, highlighted a significant disconnect between public opinion and the actions of elected officials, as opposition to the death penalty has reached its highest level since 1966. The increase in executions has been characterized as politically motivated, particularly in Florida, where the current administration aligns closely with previous tough-on-crime policies.

In 2025, Alabama, South Carolina, and Texas each executed five individuals, indicating that just four states accounted for nearly three-quarters of all executions. Meanwhile, the number of new death sentences has declined, with only 22 out of more than 50 capital trials resulting in a death sentence, primarily from Florida and Alabama, where non-unanimous jury decisions can impose capital punishment.

Despite growing public disapproval, several states have introduced legislation to facilitate the execution process. In 2025, 11 states and the U.S. Congress proposed bills to expand the death penalty, including Arkansas, Idaho, and Oklahoma, which enacted laws allowing the death penalty for non-lethal sex crimes, despite Supreme Court rulings against such measures.

New execution protocols have been adopted in various states, with Florida passing legislation that permits methods not deemed unconstitutional, and Idaho designating firing squad executions as a primary method. Arkansas has approved nitrogen executions, joining Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, which conducted their first gas execution this year.

Concerns have been raised regarding the humane application of these methods, particularly in Tennessee, where executions resumed after a five-year hiatus, revealing procedural failures. Reports of prolonged suffering during executions have emerged, with instances of individuals experiencing distressing reactions during the process.

South Carolina recently executed a prisoner by firing squad for the first time in 15 years, raising constitutional questions about the method's compliance with the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Legal challenges have been initiated regarding the execution protocols, citing discrepancies in the execution process.

In Alabama, nitrogen executions have taken longer than anticipated, with reports indicating that the process did not proceed as planned, contradicting assurances from state officials. The lack of transparency regarding execution protocols and materials has been a point of contention.

The Death Penalty Information Center's Maher emphasized that the current practices, particularly when executions go awry, undermine democratic principles and call for greater accountability from elected officials. Despite the Supreme Court's ability to intervene on constitutional grounds, no stays were granted in 2025, suggesting a troubling trend in the application of capital punishment.