Capital Punishment in the United States

(last update: August 7, 2005)

The sentence of death has been an accepted form of justice through the ages. Today in the United States, capital punishment is an integral part of the criminal justice system. The death penalty is, to some, a suitable punishment for certain crimes. Some, however, feel that this type of punishment is cruel and unusual in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Capital Punishment is generally reserved as a sanction for capital murder. However, some jurisdictions allow for other crimes such as aggravated kidnapping (KY, SD, ID) capital sexual assault (MT, FL) and treason. See the list.

So what are the facts?
38 states and the federal government have laws prescribing the death penalty. States that do not are: AL, HI, IW, ME, MA, MI, ND, RI, VT, WV, WI, and DC.

Total Executions: 977 people have been executed in the US since 1976 (post-Furman era). Thirty-three have been put to death so far this year in 2005. There were 59 executions in 2004.

By Race
Race
White
Black
Hispanic
Other
Number
566
327
62
22
% of total
58%
34%
6%
2%

81% of capital cases involve white victims, even though only 50% of murder victims are white.

Juveniles
The U.S. has executed at least 366 persons for offenses they committed as juveniles. Since 1976, 22 juvenile offenders have been executed. The executions were carried out in seven states: Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. Texas alone carried out 13 executions-almost two-thirds of the total.

Since 1976, 225 death sentences have been imposed upon juvenile offenders. There are approximately 75 juvenile offenders currently on death row. Ten female juvenile offenders have been executed. Over the past decade, only 3 states have executed juvenile offenders: Texas, Virginia and Oklahoma. Those 3 states account for 18 of the 22 executions of juvenile offenders that have been carried out since 1976.

The U.S.'s unparalleled reliance on the juvenile death penalty offends no fewer than seven international human rights agreements, including the following:

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The U.S. signed the covenant, but entered a formal reservation to the prohibition against juvenile executions.

The American Convention on Human Rights. The U.S. has not ratified the convention.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The U.S. and Somalia are the only two countries that have not ratified the convention.

Minumum Age for Death Penalty by State
SIXTEEN (14 states): Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia
SEVENTEEN (5 states): Florida, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas
EIGHTEEN (19 states and federal gov't.): California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York*, Ohio, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, Wyoming, Federal government, Federal military
* New York's death penalty statute was ruled unconstitutional on June 24, 2004.

ROPER v. SIMMONS, No. 03-0633In March 2005, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty for those who had committed their crimes at under 18 years of age was cruel and unusual punishment and hence barred by the Constitution.

Women
11 women have been executed in the US since 1976:
Velma Barfield (North Carolina) 11-02-84
Karla Faye Tucker (Texas) 02-03-98
Judy Buenoano (Florida) 03-30-98
Betty Lou Beets (Texas) 02-24-2000
Christina Riggs (Arkansas) 05-02-2000
Wanda Jean Allen (Oklahoma) 01-11-2001
Marilyn Plantz (Oklahoma) 05-01-2001
Lois Nadean Smith (Oklahoma) 12-04-2001
Lynda Lyon Block (Alabama) 05-10-2002
Aileen Wuornos (Florida) 10-09-2002

Frances Newton (Texas) September 14, 2005 *note: Newton is the third woman executed in Texas since the Civil War. She also would become the first black woman executed in modern times.

Scheduled Executions
2 1executions are scheduled through the rest of this year.

More Information
Wanna know what prisoners say right before they are executed? I have compiled a list: See their final words.
Wanna know about the methods of execution (methods by state and procedures)?I have a list for that, too: Methods of Execution.

DeadManEating.com says that the following were the most requested foods as a last meal by those awaiting execution in 2003:
french fries, hamburgers, fried chicken, pizza, pie (apple), ice cream ... and to drink? Coke!


This info compiled from various sources including: The Death Penalty Information Center, Amnesty International USA, The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.