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Home | Corrections | Capital Punishment | Number under sentence of death
Number under sentence of death
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About this Topic

Counts of persons under sentence of death on December 31 by state and federal correctional authorities are collected annually through the Capital Punishment data series (NPS-8). Details on sex, race, Hispanic origin, education, marital status, age at time of arrest for the capital offense, legal status and criminal history of those sentenced to death are presented.

Summary findings

At yearend 2008, 36 states and the federal prison system held 3,207 prisoners under sentence of death, 8 fewer than at yearend 2007. The number of prisoners under sentence of death in 2008 decreased for the eighth consecutive year.

In 2008 --

  • Of persons under sentence of death:
    • 1,798 were white
    • 1,338 were black
    • 27 were American Indian
    • 35 were Asian
    • 9 were of unknown race.
  • Fifty-eight women were under a sentence of death.
  • The 373 Hispanic inmates under sentence of death, accounted for 13% of inmates with a known ethnicity.
  • Among inmates under sentence of death and with available criminal histories, nearly 2 in 3 had a prior felony conviction and 1 in 12 had a prior homicide conviction.
  • Among persons for whom arrest information was available, the average age at time of arrest was 29; 1 in 10 inmates were age 19 or younger at the time of arrest.
  • The youngest inmate under sentence of death was 20; the oldest was 93.

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Key Facts

Thumbnail   Executions
In 2009, 52 inmates were executed, 15 more than in 2008.
Chart Page | Data Table | Spreadsheet | d_link
Thumbnail   Prisoners under sentence of death
The number of prisoners under sentence of death decreased for the eighth consecutive year in 2008.
Chart Page | Data Table | Spreadsheet | d_link
Thumbnail   Prisoners under sentence of death by race
Since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976, more than half of those under sentence of death have been white.
Chart Page | Data Table | Spreadsheet | d_link
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Data Collections & Surveys

  • Capital Punishment (NPS-8)
    Provides an annual summary of inmates admitted to and removed from under sentence of death (including executions) and of statutes pertaining to capital punishment and annual changes to those statutes.
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