15 Shocking Truths About Death Row Most Americans Are Unaware Of
The death penalty is a controversial issue in the United States. Polls suggest that most Americans support it, but a majority also worry about the way states carry it out.
From concerns about the conditions death row inmates face to fears of wrongful executions, many Americans harbor worries about the death penalty. Research by the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) suggests these worries are legitimate.
Their research and analyses have uncovered several concerning aspects of capital punishment. National polling and state analyses have also revealed startling facts about death row.
About the DPIC
The Death Penalty Information Center is a national non-profit organization. They provide data and analyses to the media, policy makers and the general public regarding death row practices.
The DPIC does not take a stance on the death penalty itself. However, they note that their researchers are critical of how states and the federal government choose to implement the law.
Many of the facts we reveal below come from DPIC data. We note where we’ve used additional sources.
1: Fewer Prisoners are Currently on Death Row
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, approximately 2,400 prisoners are currently facing execution in the U.S. This number is lower than in previous years.
In the last twenty years, there have been more sentence reversals and executions than there have been new death sentences. Many prisoners have also passed away of other causes before a death sentence could be carried out.
2: Twenty-Three In 2023
States executed 23 prisoners in 2023. Of the 23 prisoners executed, 22 were male and one was female.
Texas executed more prisoners than any other state that year. And all states used lethal injection to execute prisoners.
3: Methods of Execution
The U.S. Supreme Court has never found a method of execution to be unconstitutional, and states have used a variety of methods over the years. Hanging, gas chambers, lethal injection, the electric chair, and firing squads have all been utilized at some point.
Lethal injection is the predominant method states use today. Because it’s so popular, the Supreme Court has not had recent opportunities to weigh in on some of the more archaic methods.
4: Lethal Injection Worries
Lethal injection is the method of choice for executions in most states that allow the death penalty. However, it remains a controversial method.
Lethal injection typically relies on a multi-drug protocol that sedates, paralyzes, and then stops the person’s heart. However, many drug companies refuse to supply drugs for use in executions, which means states are often unable to obtain tried and tested drugs. In their place, many states use experimental options that can cause prolonged and painful experiences.
5: A Veil of Secrecy
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, states protect their controversial lethal injection practices using shrouds of secrecy. In recent years, many states have passed laws barring the public from discovering the source of drugs being used.
Many states bar witnesses from viewing at least some portion of executions. Still, there have been frequent reports of prisoners who remained awake, experienced obvious pain, and appeared to suffocate.
6: Race Has a Significant Effect
Studies show race plays a significant role in determining who ends up on death row. Since the death penalty has been in effect, 305 Black prisoners guilty of interracial murders have been executed, while only 21 White prisoners guilty of the same crime have met the same end.
Per the Death Penalty Information Center, several recent studies reveal jurors are more likely to recommend the death penalty for a Black perpetrator than a White one. This is especially true if the perpetrator killed White victims.
7: Wrongly Convicted
Since 1973, an average of four wrongly convicted death row inmates have been exonerated. Though it’s impossible to tell how many innocent death row inmates states have executed, the DPIC maintains a list of prisoners who probably didn’t commit the murders they were accused of.
For example, in 1989, Texas executed Carlos DeLuna for fatally stabbing a store clerk named Wanda Lopez. In 2006, reports strongly suggesting his innocence emerged. DeLuna is one of twenty people on the DPIC’s list.
8: Top States
California has the most inmates on death row, but the state has only executed 13 people since 1976. Other states, like Texas and Oklahoma, keep fewer inmates on death row but also more frequently execute prisoners.
Since 1976, Texas has executed 587 prisoners. Oklahoma has executed 124 prisoners. Overall, southern states are responsible for 1,295 executions.
9: Not an Effective Deterrent
The DPIC studies whether or not the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime. They overwhelmingly conclude that it’s not.
The DPIC reached these conclusions by analyzing statistics and polling law enforcement. For example, they found the southern region of the U.S. has the highest murder rate and is responsible for 80% of executions. The Northeast has the lowest murder rate and is only responsible for less than 0.5% of executions.
In a 2009 poll of police chiefs, the DPIC found that police chiefs ranked the death penalty last in a list of crime deterrents. They also considered the death penalty to be an ineffective use of taxpayer money.
10: Juveniles
America has a long history of putting juveniles on death row. The first minor to lose his life for his crimes was Thomas Granger, a member of the Plymouth Colony, in 1642.
We no longer allow juvenile executions; the Supreme Court stopped the practice in 2005 with Roper vs. Simmons. Still, from 1976 to 2005, states executed 22 individuals for crimes they committed before turning 18.
11: Average Cost
Capital trials are expensive because they often require lengthy pre-trial investigations, difficult jury selections, and multiple appeals. Prisons also have to incorporate more advanced security enhancements and often have to provide solitary cells.
One economic analysis in Oklahoma found death-penalty cases were about $700,000 more expensive than non-capital trials. Studies show federal death row cases cost an average of eight times more than those seeking life imprisonment.
12: What It’s Like
In many states, the time between sentencing and execution has increased from years to decades. This means prisoners often face harsh living conditions for long periods of time.
Often, death row inmates are subject to solitary confinement, which some consider to be a form of cruel and unusual punishment, equivalent to other forms of torture. Mental illness and physical disabilities are also common among death row prisoners.
13: Those in Favor
According to a 2021 Pew Research poll, six in ten Americans are in favor of executing convicted murderers. Sixty-four percent also say the death penalty is morally justified.
However, a majority of Americans also have reservations about how fairly the death penalty is applied. Fifty-six percent said Black people were more likely to be sent to death row than White people for committing the same crime.
14: Key States to End the Death Penalty
Though the majority of states still have the death penalty, many jurisdictions have eliminated the practice entirely. In 1834, Pennsylvania became the first state to do away with public executions. In 1846, Michigan got rid of the death penalty except in the case of treason.
By 1917, nine states had completely gotten rid of the death penalty. However, five of those states later reinstated it. Still, today, there are 23 states that don’t have the death penalty.
15: Most States Have It, Few States Use It
Twenty-seven states, the military, and the Federal government retain the death penalty. However, only a handful of them regularly use it.
Thirteen states that allow the death penalty have not carried out an execution in the past decade or more. In California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, governors issued a formal moratorium on executions.
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