Etc.

The Denying Dozen: states that avoid using death penalty

Capital punishment is never far from the news. Case in point: The US Supreme Court recently agreed to review whether the three-drug lethal injection method of execution qualifies as cruel and unusual. Ten of the 37 states that had used this practice have suspended it under pressure from opponents, who consider it ineffective as well as inhumane. Every state has meted out the death penalty at some point, but in recent years 12 have eliminated it altogether, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In alphabetical order, they are:

Alaska
Hawaii
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin