How widely is the death penalty used in the United States?

The death penalty has returned to public attention in the United States after Christa Pike survived two separate attempts at lethal injection in Tennessee, raising fresh questions about how capital punishment is applied across the country.

Capital punishment remains legal in a number of US states, though its use varies widely depending on state law, with some states actively carrying out executions and others having abolished the practice entirely or maintaining moratoriums.

Lethal injection is the most common method used for executions in states that retain the death penalty, though some states have provisions for alternative methods such as the electric chair or firing squad in certain circumstances, including when lethal injection drugs are unavailable or a method is challenged in court.

The case of Christa Pike, whose lethal injection attempts reportedly failed on two occasions, has drawn renewed scrutiny to the procedures and drugs used in executions, an issue that has been the subject of legal and public debate in the US for years amid difficulties some states have faced in sourcing execution drugs.

Debate over the death penalty in the US continues to divide opinion, with supporters arguing it serves as a deterrent and a just punishment for the most serious crimes, while opponents raise concerns about wrongful convictions, the method's reliability, and its fairness in application.