- Posted December 29, 2011
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Is the death penalty dying a slow death?
by Kimberly Atkins
The Daily Record Newswire
The number of death sentences imposed this year dropped to less than 100 for the first time since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976, according to a new report by the Death Penalty Information Center.
The number of executions carried out also declined, according to the group, which attributes the change to the "discomfort that many Americans have with the death penalty."
"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, DPIC's Executive Director and the report's author.
According to the report, 78 new death sentences have been handed down so far this year.
That is a sharp decrease from 2010, when 117 death sentences were handed down, and a dramatic decrease from 2000, when 224 death sentences were imposed.
There have been 43 executions carried out so far in 2011, compared to 46 in 2010 and 85 in 2000, according to the report.
Nearly 3 out of 4 executions took place in the South, with Texas leading all states with 13.
Dieter also noted that several states, including Illinois, New Mexico, New Jersey and New York, have abandoned capital punishment in recent years, and other states including California, Connecticut, Maryland and Oregon are exploring the possibility of also ending executions.
Published: Thu, Dec 29, 2011
headlines Washtenaw County
- Law professor known for pioneering research honored with ABA Michael Franck Professional Responsibility Award
- Renowned activists collaborate on workbook to advance women’s rights
- Two Japanese professors visit Michigan Law
- Cooley alumna continues working at Innocence Project
- ACLU/MOASH report: Parental consent law harms young people
headlines National
- Civil legal aid lawyers are often the last line of defense. Why are there so few of them?
- Bankruptcy law firm files for Chapter 11 after losing advertising dispute
- Dentons and Boies Schiller face $300M racketeering suit after client loses international arbitration
- Mother’s Day and the changing face of family dynamics and custody arrangements
- Federal judge reprimanded for handcuffing teen spectator in scared-straight approach
- Lawyer whose firm sued Boeing finds emergency slide that fell from company’s plane near his home