Imagine a question and stream-of-consciousness explanation for which this is the answer: 31
Question: Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the United States, currently used by 31 states, the federal government, and the military. Its existence can be traced to the beginning of the American colonies. The United States is the only Western country currently applying the death penalty, one of 58 countries worldwide applying it, and was the first to develop lethal injection as a method of execution, which has since been adopted by five other countries.

How many states in america use the death penalty?
Stream-of-consciousness: The relevant sentence in the passage is: Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the United States, currently used by 31 states, the federal government, and the military.