In 2025, executions in the U.S. surged, nearly doubling from the previous year. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Florida led this increase, recording more executions than ever before.
The latest report indicated that while public support for the death penalty is declining, the number of executions is rising. Robin Maher, the executive director of the center, pointed out this disconnect, stating, “There’s a real gap between what people want and what lawmakers are doing.” The center, which doesn’t take a stance on the death penalty itself, critiques its application.
So far in 2025, states have executed 46 individuals, up from just 25 in 2024. With more executions scheduled this week in Florida and Georgia, the total may reach 48, the highest in over 15 years. A striking 40% of these executions occurred in Florida.
The increase aligns with political shifts, notably during President Trump’s second term. After a hiatus under President Biden, Trump restarted federal executions. The last federal execution occurred at the end of Trump’s first term.
This year, Florida shattered its record for executions, which was previously eight in 2014. Governor Ron DeSantis stated that previous delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic have now been resolved. He emphasized the need to ensure that justice is served, saying, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Interestingly, about 40% of this year’s executed individuals had vulnerabilities, like mental health issues or intellectual disabilities. Maher noted that many of these cases would not likely result in death sentences today due to evolving societal understanding of mental illness.
A significant change occurred in 2002 when the Supreme Court deemed it unconstitutional to execute people with intellectual disabilities. However, states still have the power to set their own standards for assessing such disabilities.
Current discussions in the Supreme Court are focusing on how states should interpret IQ test results in determining mental capacity for execution. Advocacy groups are concerned that a strict focus on IQ could lead to more executions of individuals with disabilities.
This year has also seen the highest number of veteran executions in nearly two decades, with ten veterans on death row. Cases like that of Jeffrey Hutchinson, executed for the 1998 murders of his girlfriend and her three children, raised concerns. His defense highlighted his PTSD and brain injury from military service, suggesting that juries often lack critical context about the backgrounds of sentenced veterans.
The trend indicates a gradual decline in new death sentences, with only 22 issued this year compared to 139 in 2005. This may stem from the increasing complexity and expense related to death penalty cases. Over the years, as Maher puts it, “the American public is moving away from the use of the death penalty.” In a recent Gallup poll, only 52% of Americans supported the death penalty for murder, marking the lowest level of support since 1972.
