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Outline of capital punishment

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The following outline is a topical guide to capital punishment articles on Wikipedia.

Also known asDeath penalty, judicial homicide
Common methodsLethal injection, hanging, shooting, decapitation, electrocution, lethal gas, stoning
Abolitionist for all crimes113 countries (end of 2025)[1]
Countries executing17 (2025)[1]
Quick facts Also known as, Common methods ...
Capital punishment
The execution of Louis XVI, 1793
Also known asDeath penalty, judicial homicide
Common methodsLethal injection, hanging, shooting, decapitation, electrocution, lethal gas, stoning
Abolitionist for all crimes113 countries (end of 2025)[1]
Countries executing17 (2025)[1]
Recorded executionsAt least 2,707 (2025)[1]
RelatedDeath row, Executioner, Wrongful execution, List of methods of capital punishment
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Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence ordering such a punishment is a death sentence, and carrying it out is an execution. A prisoner sentenced to death and awaiting execution is condemned and is commonly said to be "on death row".[a][2][3][4]

Main articles

Legal

Legislation

Abolition

International law

Referendums

Case law

United States

Other countries

Trials

Juvenile capital punishment

Methods

Decapitation

Lethal injection

Hanging

Gibbeting

Electricity

Gas chamber

Equipment

Electric chairs

Notable executions

Botched executions

Wrongful executions

Filmed executions

Public executions

Religion

Christianity

Islam

Judaism

Other religions

Opposition

Organizations

By country

By state

Works

Art

Books

Documentaries

Lists

Miscellaneous

See also

Further reading

Main article: Bibliography of the history of capital punishment
  • Bohm, R. M., & Lee, G. (Eds.). (2018). Routledge handbook on capital punishment. Routledge.
  • Garnsey, P. (2026). Rethinking capital punishment. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781009760089
  • Grossman, M. (1998). Encyclopedia of capital punishment. ABC-CLIO.
  • Hammel, A. (2010). Ending the death penalty. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1057/9780230277366
  • Hood, R., & Hoyle, C. (2008). The death penalty: A worldwide perspective. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199228478.001.0001[5][6][7]
  • Kronenwetter, M. (2001). Capital punishment: A reference handbook (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO.
  • Megivern, J. J. (1997). The death penalty: An historical and theological survey. Paulist Press.[8][9][10][11]
  • Melusky, J. A. (Ed.). (2024). Capital punishment: An encyclopedia of history, politics, culture, and the law. Bloomsbury Academic.
  • Palmer, L. J., Jr. (2008). Encyclopedia of capital punishment in the United States (2nd ed.). McFarland.
  • Sarat, A., & Boulanger, C. (Eds.). (2005). The cultural lives of capital punishment: Comparative perspectives. Stanford University Press. doi:10.1515/9780804767712[12][13][14]
  • Sarat, A., & Martschukat, J. (Eds.). (2011). Is the death penalty dying? European and American perspectives. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511974380[15]
  • Schabas, W. A. (2002). The abolition of the death penalty in international law. Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511494109
  • Stearns, P. N. (2023). Punishment in world history. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781003427261

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