We can end the death penalty in the United States
Our campaign unites more than 50 organizations across the nation behind a shared, coordinated strategy to end the death penalty. Every day our partners work in courtrooms, legislatures, and in the public square to stop executions, prevent new death sentences and educate the public about the failure of the death penalty.
Your tax-deductible donation will be sent where it is most needed to help us respond to emerging needs and opportunities so we can end capital punishment once and for all.
You can donate by mail (and save us processing fees) by sending a check with “USCEDP” on the memo line to:
US Campaign to End the Death Penalty
c/o CDPL
3326 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd, Bldg D Suite 201
Durham, NC 27707
Sorry, we cannot accept credit cards by mail!
To donate to a specific state or effort, please contact us directly.
25 years of progress toward justice…
Since 1999, the United States has seen a dramatic decrease in the use of the death penalty, thanks in large part to our movement’s unified national strategy.
75%
Reduction in U.S. executions
In 2024, the U.S. saw only 24 executions, down from a high of 98 in 1999. A current surge in executions threatens this progress, even though numbers remain low compared to the peak.
90%
Reduction in new death sentences
Only a handful of outlier counties have sent five or more people to death row in the last 5 years.
11
States achieved full abolition
Bringing the total to 23 states and D.C. that have formally ended the death penalty.
35
Jurisdictions have abandoned the death penalty
Along with the 24 jurisdictions that have formally ended capital punishment, another 11 haven’t carried out an execution in 10+ years.
…but now that progress is threatened.
In recent years we have seen an unprecedented and coordinated nationwide effort to re-normalize the death penalty.
Only a handful of states continue to actively use the death penalty, but authorities in those states are aggressively moving to increase its use.
Expanding use of the death penalty
In the last few years, several states have introduced measures to expand the use of the death penalty, and some abolitionist states have unsuccessfully attempted reinstatement.
Adding new execution methods
In 2024, Alabama became the first state to execute a person by nitrogen gas suffocation. Jewish groups raised alarm at the government’s use of gas chambers, and the UN equated the method to torture. Louisiana used the method in 2025, and other states are considering following suit.
Bringing back old execution methods
In 2024, South Carolina brought back the electric chair as a primary method of execution, and reinstated firing squads as an alternative. Idaho announced that firing squads will be their primary method of execution beginning in 2026.
Donald Trump’s Executive Order
On his first day in office in 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Justice to pursue the death penalty wherever possible, “regardless of other factors,” especially against undocumented people accused of crimes.