The death penalty is one of the most talked about and controversial topics in the United States, but recently the global point of view of government executions has come into public light. Despite the fact that capital punishment is becoming more and more frowned upon on the homefront, the number of executions globally has reached its highest level in over two decades, rising 54% from last year, reaching a total of 1634 confirmed executions. Freshman Waverly Noble says, “The statistics show that capital punishment is not reducing crime any more than being in prison would.” These executions are predominantly committed by Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia followed by the United States and Iraq. Iran is confirmed to have committed 977 executions in 2015, in contrast to the United States who committed 28. Common crimes that receive the death penalty in Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are robbery, adultery, rape, and insulting the prophet of Islam by the most globally used method being hanging.

  While the data about executions worldwide is rising rapidly, one key player is missing from the numbers: China. China refuses to provide data about death penalty, classifying it as a state secret. It is estimated that several thousand people were killed last year alone. Sophomore Ben Rappaport says, “I think death penalty information should be available to the public because I do not feel like it would cause harm and can make the public more informed.” Though the death penalty is its way to becoming obsolete in the United States, last year six countries resumed using capital punishment after having no executions in 2014, including Chad who had not used capital punishment in over a decade. Another cause for the rapid increase in use of the death penalty is that in many cases of people being put on death row, trials did not meet international fair trial standards. Those standards include the right to legal counsel before trial and the right to humane detention conditions and freedom from torture and ill treatment. While the death penalty is being used more and more globally, four countries abolished the death penalty for all crimes last year making 102 confirmed countries who have abolished the death penalty. No matter where you stand on capital punishment, never limit your knowledge to only the United States.