Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016
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Capital punishment, often referred to as the death penalty, refers to the government-sanctioned execution of a criminal defendant who has been convicted of a crime punishable by death. Choose a state from the map or from the list below for state-specific laws, including the types of crime for which capital punishment may be inflicted, and the effect of a defendant's mental incapacity on a death sentence.
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