Surge in Scheduled Executions Marks Unusual Trend in US Justice System

In a divergence from years of declining usage, five death row inmates are set to be executed across five states within one week. Experts attribute the scheduling anomaly to court and state officials' decision timing. This week of executions marks a historic occurrence in over 20 years.

In a striking divergence from a years-long trend of decreasing executions and diminishing support for the death penalty in the United States, five death row inmates are scheduled to be executed across five states in the span of just one week. This marks an unusual uptick not seen in over two decades.

If these executions proceed as planned in Alabama, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas, it will be the first time since 2003 that five inmates have been put to death in such a short time frame, according to the Death Penalty Information Centre. While the centre remains neutral on capital punishment, its executive director, Robin Maher, highlighted the extraordinary nature of this week's scheduling.

Legal experts, like Eric Berger from the University of Nebraska, attribute this anomaly to coincidental timing by courts and state officials after inmates exhausted their appeals. Factors such as drug procurement issues and past moratoriums due to botched executions have also played roles in creating backlogs.

(With inputs from agencies.)