Death row inmates in five states are set to be executed in a span of one week, marking a departure from the declining trend in the use and support of the death penalty in the U.S. The upcoming executions in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas will be the first time in over 20 years that five executions are scheduled within seven days.
The first execution took place in South Carolina on Friday, with four more scheduled for this week. If all proceed as planned, the U.S. will have reached 1,600 executions since the reinstatement of the death penalty by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976.
