Death Sentences In U.S. Fell To Record Low In 2011: Report

The number of new death sentences issued in the U.S. dropped from 112 in 2010 down to 78 this year, marking the first time the number has fallen below 100 in the modern era of capital punishment, according to a report released on Thursday by the Death Penalty Information Center. Executions also declined by nearly half over the past decade, from 85 in 2000 to 43 in 2011.

The dramatic drop in sentences reflects a slow decline in U.S. public support for capital punishment, although a majority of Americans still support its use in some cases. According to a 2011 Gallup poll, 61 percent of American voters agree that capital punishment should be legal, compared with 67 percent in 2000.

Various factors have contributed to the death penalty's declining popularity. Maintaining it is extremely expensive for taxpayers, even in states like California where it is rarely used. And due to flaws in the criminal justice system, prisoners are sentenced to death in an unpredictable manner, leading some reports to suggest that whether a prisoner will receive the death penalty is as impossible to predict as whether a person will be struck by lightning.

Several states have begun to either repeal the death penalty or use it less frequently. Illinois repealed it in January, while Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber recently halted all executions in his state. Even in Texas, traditionally home to the most executions annually, executions were reduced by 46 percent over the past two years. Other states with the death penalty, including Maryland, South Carolina, Indiana and Missouri, didn't sentence anyone to death in 2011, leaving Southern and Western states to account for 87 percent of all new sentences.

Moreover, Georgia's controversial execution of Troy Davis in September sparked protests across the world and fueled public doubts about the fairness of death sentencing.

“Whether it’s concerns about unfairness, executing the innocent, the high costs of the death penalty, or the general feeling that the government just can’t get it right, Americans moved further away from capital punishment in 2011," said Richard Dieter, executive director of DPIC and the author of the report.

Earlier on HuffPost:

Comments

[peteschwarze]

08:09 PM on 12/18/2011

ever wonder how much money could be saved if ALL non violent victimless vice offenders got house arrest instead of incarceration?

[Donald Persons]

06:21 PM on 12/15/2011

The people who should be behind bars should only be people who represent a life-threatening, significant and present danger to society. Top on the list are the banksters, not the petty thieves and first-timers.

[tulane-grad]

06:12 PM on 12/15/2011

Such a drastic drop is completely unacceptable - think of all the jobs that were lost. No one got paid to:
1- write appeals
2 - prep last meals
3 - adjust straps
4 - pull levers
5 - pronounce t-o-d
6 - clean machine
7 - broadcast chaos
8 - debate morality
Along with thousands of other capital punishment related tasks. Isn't it time we put Americans back to work.

[hculliton]

08:47 AM on 12/16/2011

Sadly, what you argue in jest, could quite easily be said in earnest during the next GOP debate.

[tulane-grad]

10:42 AM on 12/16/2011

How true:)

[gevan]

05:51 PM on 12/15/2011

"Cruel AND unusual"?

[lOstsOulsrembrd11]

05:49 PM on 12/15/2011

Well that's easy to explain: With private prisons now the big thing in the world of big money it is better to spare the life and pork it instead. (No pun intended)

[mightytonkatruc]

05:46 PM on 12/15/2011

Sorry ... I made lean liberal but I still think some people just need to be put out of our misery.

[SteveSFM]

05:40 PM on 12/15/2011

Things are going in the right direction.

[jordan2]

05:28 PM on 12/15/2011

I have been on both sides of this issue and currently oppose the death penalty. I am baffled as to why some courts will not allow DNA to be used after someone has been convicted. The death penalty is final and many innocents have been executed while others have been later found to be not guilt after serving many years on death row. When this happens, I think those responsible for the conviction should have some culpability particularly when extreme "prejudice" is evident as in withholding or manufacturing evidence.

I also have a huge issue with people who say it's a deterrent to future crimes. If you really want to make that argument, then perform executions in public and show them on the 6 o'clock news at dinner time so the entire family can see. I have yet to hear one good reason as to why executions are performed in "secret." Makes no sense to me.

[rperdueb]

05:27 PM on 12/15/2011

Thats only because Perry is on the road trying to get a job where he can murder millions.

[mightytonkatruc]

05:39 PM on 12/15/2011

Dammit you beat me to it!

[Jame Gumb]

04:13 AM on 12/16/2011

uninformed liberal zealots alway like to blame Texas governors for executions.

why are you guys too lazy to check your facts? The governor of Texas has no authority over executions yet you continue with these nonsense claims that only make you look ignorant and uninformed. But don't let the facts get in your way, just keep up the zealotry...as long as it makes you feel good then it must have some value right?

[peteschwarze]

08:07 PM on 12/18/2011

the governor of texas loves to take credit for them though.

[alertbay]

05:04 PM on 12/15/2011

I've been sort of on the fence on this issue for years, but I always rationalized my failure to take a position on the grounds that, well, at least we had enough safeguards in place so that it was unlikely that an innocent person would be executed. Horrifically, there is a growing body of evidence that strongly suggests that these safeguards do not exist, and it is likely that innocents have been put to death. That should settle that. Then, as if to add insult to injury, I recently discovered that an Habsburg Archduke, in 1796, outlawed the death penalty as well as torture, while serving as the Grand Duke of Tuscany. Once again, Tuscany leads the way and I am now opposed to the death sentence in all cases.

[kopanko]

04:54 PM on 12/15/2011

Hallelujah.

[BobSacomano]

04:47 PM on 12/15/2011

I can hear tiny little dark Republican hearts breaking all over the country.....so sad.

[disappointedliberal]

05:02 PM on 12/15/2011

F&F

[RiverCitySlicker]

04:47 PM on 12/15/2011

Will "people" who are covered by "corporate personhood" be exempt from capital punishment?

Just wondering. . .?

[Pollytiques]

05:04 PM on 12/15/2011

They are the ones that really deserve it...so yes...they are exempt from any responsiblilty for their actions...Them that's got the gold make the rules..

[jordan2]

05:16 PM on 12/15/2011

Here's where China has it over us. They execute corporate criminals for fraud while our thieves go unpunished. Just a thought, but for sure, we need to revisit the laws for those who bankrupt companies at the expense of stockholders and those with pension plans. I would add crooked politicians to that group.

[RiverCitySlicker]

04:36 PM on 12/15/2011

We could get rid of the death penalty entirely if it was replaced by a true solitary sentence.

No human contact, no books, no entertainment of any form.

Just 4 walls and let them think of what they did. . .

for the rest of their lives.

[alertbay]

05:07 PM on 12/15/2011

Do you really want to do that? That would drive them quickly insane. Better that they should have television (we control the remote), books and magazines. That way they can see what they're missing.

[RiverCitySlicker]

05:22 PM on 12/15/2011

Yes, when they reach the point of "insanity," toss a rope into their cell.

[Donald Persons]

06:23 PM on 12/15/2011

I take it that you have no hope in the change in human behavior. You just threw out the Enlightenment.

[ApprxAm]

04:34 PM on 12/15/2011

p.r.i.c.k perry has been on the road. it'll pick up