In the United States, capital punishment (also known as the death penalty) is a legal penalty in 27 states (of which two, Oregon and Wyoming, have no inmates sentenced to death), throughout the country at the federal level, and in American Samoa. It is also a legal penalty for some military offenses. Capital punishment has been abolished in the other 23 states and in the federal capital, Washington, D.C. It is usually applied for only the most serious crimes, such as aggravated murder. Although it is a legal penalty in 27 states, 21 of them have authority to execute death sentences, with the other 6 subject to moratoriums.
As of 2025, three of the 38 OECD member countries, that being the United States, Japan, and South Korea retain the death penalty. South Korea has observed an unofficial moratorium on executions since 1997. Thus, Japan and Taiwan are the only other advanced democracies with capital punishment. In both countries, the death penalty remains quite broadly supported.