Ambiguity and confusion seem to dominate consideration of the issue of capital punishment, with conflict between competing values and theories. Advocates view execution as a deterrent, “just desserts,” closure, or incapacitation. Opponents say there is no evidence that capital punishment deters, that it is more expensive than incarceration, and that it is applied unfairly and is prone to irreversible error. In addition to State-to-State variations in the existence and application of the death penalty in the United States, international variation is also a hallmark of capital punishment. The United States has embraced the death penalty with increasing fervor in recent decades, while other industrialized countries have distanced themselves from it. An analysis of 15,000 executions carried out in the United States between 1608 and 1991 showed that the South had many more executions than its population would warrant. The facts concerning race and gender were that minorities and men were executed more frequently than their population fractions would suggest, although when the demographics of homicide were considered, the imbalance diminished. Few women have been executed in the course of American history. Methods of execution have a distinctive geography in terms of their origins and patterns of diffusion. Federal, State and military authorities operate under statutes permitting the application of capital punishment. Executions since 1976 have concentrated heavily in the South, particularly in Texas. Other major contributors are Virginia, Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana. Disparities regarding capital punishment are clear enough that some prominent institutions have called for its abolition. However, popular support remains strong and substantial changes seem unlikely at this time. 12 figures, 17 references