Executions Decline in U.S. for Third Straight Year

CC Pro — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:43:00 GMT

Figures released by the Death Penalty Information Center indicate thirty-seven (37) executions took place in the United States during 2008. This is the lowest number in 14 years. A partial explanation for the decrease is the informal moratorium on executions that occurred while the Supreme Court deliberated the constitutionality of the three-drug protocol administered by almost all states that employ lethal injection for executions. The Court rendered a decision in April (Baze and Bowling v. Rees) upholding the method. Also of significance is the number of persons sentenced to death (111) during 2008. This is the lowest number since 1976 when the Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment. Other factors that may have contributed to the decline are:

High legal and security costs associated with the death penalty;
Pronounced downturns in states' economies;
A drop in the number of violent crimes;
Changing public sentiment regarding use of the death penalty

Imprisonment Rates Around the World, Also Youth Crime Attitudes

Eileen Conway — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:49:00 GMT

A new edition of the World Prison Population List is now available. Produced by Roy Walmsley of King's College London International Centre for Prison Studies, the list makes a best attempt to draw together statistics from countries around the world. It complements the Centre's World Prison Brief, a database of information about prison systems throughout the world that is updated monthly.

Separately, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency has just posted Attitudes of US Voters Toward Youth Crime and the Justice System, which finds a reversal of public support for adult penalties for youth.

Thinking About Corrections : Public Opinion

Executions Decline in U.S. for Third Straight Year

Imprisonment Rates Around the World, Also Youth Crime Attitudes