Capital punishment was abolished in Hawaii in 1957. But in many states where the death penalty is still an option, there is a growing push to do away with it.

As states grapple with budget shortfalls, execution costs may be seen as unnecessarily high, according to Politico. Read the full story. 

An October Gallup poll showed that the percentage of Americans who said they approved of killing convicted murderers had fallen to 61 percent. It marked the lowest level of support for the death penalty since 1972.