Death Penalty Series: Study Shows that Use of Capital Punishment on the Decline

There are several potential causes of the decline.

Americans are divided about many political issues, from immigration to taxes to health care.  Another topic of disagreement is the death penalty.  While some argue that is is necessary to deter crime and to adequately punish those who commit terrible crimes, others believe that the government should not be in the business of killing — and that there is too much uncertainty in verdicts to ever issue such a sentence.  No matter what your personal beliefs about the death penalty may be, a new report shows that its use is at an all-time low in the United States.

According to a new report  from the Death Penalty Information Center, in 2017, both executions and death penalties were at historic lows across the country.  Just 39 new death sentences were handed down, and only 23 executions were carried out in 2017.  The number of new death sentences imposed represents the lowest number since 1972.  The number of executions carried out is half as many as in 2010 — and the second lowest since 1991.  2017 was the seventh year in a row that there were under 100 death sentences imposed across the United States.

There is not a single reason for this decline in the number of capital punishments.  Instead, a number of factors play into the decision.  Politically, the death penalty has grown less popular over time, particularly as there have been more exonerations due to advances in science. There were 5 new exonerations in 2017 With the popularity of shows like Making a Murderer, more Americans may be questioning the justice system — and the fairness of imposing a punishment such as the death penalty when a guilty verdict may not be correct.

There are also fewer states and counties imposing death sentences in the United States.  In 2017, just 14 states and 29 counties imposed the death sentence — a decline of 48.3 percent from 2013. In 2017, just three counties in the United States accounted for 31 percent of the 39 death sentences; this includes Riverside County, California, which handed down 5 death sentences in 2017, the highest number of any county in the United States.

According to a Riverside criminal defense lawyer, there is another factor at play in the reduced number of executions carried out: the unavailability of the drugs necessary for lethal injection.  Because drug manufacturers have refused to provide their products to states for use in executions, and the drugs cannot be imported to the United States for this use, many states simply do not have a method of executing inmates.  While some states are experimenting with other methods, others have simply put executions on hold for the present.

In California, capital punishment is a potential sentence for a number of crimes, including murder.  Riverside County is an outlier among most jurisdictions in the United States in the number of capital punishments that it handed down in 2017.  If you have been charged with a crime that could lead to a sentence of capital punishment, you will need an experienced Riverside criminal defense lawyer.

At the Chambers Law Firm, our team of professionals fiercely advocates for our clients through each stage of the legal process.  We investigate each aspect of the case to develop the best possible factual and legal defenses.  Contact us today at 714-760-4088 or dchambers@clfca.com to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Riverside criminal defense lawyer.