Capital punishment
Capital punishment or the
death penalty is a legal process whereby a person is put to death by the state as a punishment for a crime. The judicial decree that someone be punished in this manner is a
death sentence, while the actual enforcement is an
execution. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as
capital crimes or
capital offenses. The term
capital originates from the Latin
capitalis, literally "regarding the head". Capital punishment has, in the past, been practiced by most societies, as a punishment for criminals, and political or religious dissidents. Historically, the carrying out of the death sentence was often accompanied by torture, and executions were most often public. Currently 58 nations actively practice capital punishment, 98 countries have abolished it
de jure for all crimes, 7 have abolished it for ordinary crimes only, and 35 have abolished it
de facto. Amnesty International considers most countries abolitionist; overall, the organisation considers 140 countries to be abolitionist in law or practice. About 90% of all executions in the world take place in Asia.