Number of Persons Executed¹ by Jurisdiction, 1930–2008

1. Executed under civil authority; military authorities carried out an additional 160 executions, 1930–1997.

2. In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment, as it was then administered, was “cruel and unusual” and therefore unconstitutional. On July 1, 1976, however, the Court overturned the ruling by a 7–2 decision, and capital punishment was reinstated.