Final answer:
A majority of U.S. states currently impose the death penalty, although there is a noticeable shift towards abolition, influenced by wrongful executions, public opinion, and sociopolitical factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
As of recent years, a majority of states in the United States impose the death penalty, though public opinion and legal frameworks have been shifting.
Following a decline of executions post-World War II, with no executions during much of the 1970s due to the death penalty being deemed unconstitutional, the practice resumed in some states post-1977.
Over time, however, revelations of wrongful executions and a cultural shift have led to a gradual trend of abolition. By 2015, nineteen states and the District of Columbia had abolished the death penalty for new cases, with other states not actively carrying out death sentences.
Execution rates vary significantly by state, with a concentration of executions in Southern states, particularly Texas, and an indication of differential treatment in death penalty cases for people of color.