Just 78 sentenced this year: new report
(NEWSER) - The number of death sentences handed down this year dropped 30% compared to last, hitting the lowest level in 35 years, according to a new report. Just 78 people were sentenced to death this year—marking "the first time we've had fewer than 100 new death sentences in a year in the modern era of capital punishment," says the executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, the nonprofit behind the report. In addition, 43 people were executed, compared to 46 last year, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»
