Does the District of Columbia have the death penalty?
Fully abolished
The District of Columbia abolished the death penalty in 1981.
The District of Columbia is classified “Fully abolished” for the death penalty, as are 23 of the other 50 states. For the United States as a whole, the classification is “Retained / in use”.
Source
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read from the source’s state-by-state coverage; the topic is published only once hand-verified reference states match it.
Across the United States
- Retained / in use 16 states.
- Not used in practice 11 states.
- Fully abolished 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Nearby states
- Maryland
- Fully abolished Maryland abolished the death penalty in 2013.
- Delaware
- Fully abolished Delaware abolished the death penalty in 2016.
- Virginia
- Fully abolished Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021.
- Pennsylvania
- Not used in practice The death penalty remains in law, but executions are suspended (by Governor moratorium).
- New Jersey
- Fully abolished New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007.
- West Virginia
- Fully abolished West Virginia abolished the death penalty in 1965.
Other laws in the District of Columbia
- Euthanasia
- Assisted dying only
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Gun Laws
- Highly restrictive / banned
The death penalty in the United States → · Which countries have the death penalty? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.