The death penalty continued its historic decline in 2016, according to the year-end report put out by the Death Penalty Information Center. The report found:
- The number of death sentenced imposed by American juries was lower than in any other year since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1972. The 30 death sentences from 2016 represent a 39% decline from 2015’s already 40-year low of 49.
- Executions declined by more than 25% from 2015, and, together, Georgia and Texas executed 80% of the 20 men executed in 2016.
- Public opinion polls in 2016 reported historic lows in support for the death penalty.
- State Courts in Delaware and Florida ruled that the death penalty laws in their states are unconstitutional.
- Prosecutors in four of the 16 counties that impose the most death sentences in the U.S. were defeated by candidates who expressed personal opposition to the death penalty or pledged to reform their county’s death penalty practices.
Check out the full report, and help spread the word about the death penalty’s demise.
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