Death Penalty Information Center

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His Mission: Don't Let 'Those Who Kill Turn Us Into Killers'

New Hampshire Democrat Rep. Renny Cushing dies at 69

(Newser) - "Being a survivor of a homicide victim has a pain for which there aren’t any words," said Robert "Renny" Cushing during a 2019 discussion with the Death Penalty Information Center. Earlier that year, New Hampshire became the 21st state to outlaw capital punishment, after its House...

US Executions at Lowest Level in Decades

New death sentences also way down

(Newser) - The number of people executed in the United States this year dropped to the lowest level since 1991, as states impose fewer death sentences and defendants in capital cases get access to better legal help. The Death Penalty Information Center, a nonprofit organization that opposes capital punishment and tracks the...

Rarity: US Executions Fall Below 40 for Year

Opposition group thinks we might be in 'final chapter' of capital punishment

(Newser) - The Death Penalty Information Center's year-end report is out, and the number of US executions fell to 39 in 2013—just the second time that number has fallen below 40 in almost 20 years, reports USA Today . What's behind the drop? Difficulty in getting the necessary drugs, fewer...

9 States Executed People in 2012, a 20-Year Low

Four states, led by Texas, account for 75% of executions

(Newser) - US states executed 43 people this year, the same as last year, but a group that opposes the death penalty says 2012 stats show capital punishment is on the wane across the country. Some highlights from AFP and the AP :
  • Nine states executed people this year, the smallest number in
...

Ohio Judge Rejects 3-Drug Lethal Injections

Orders state to change executions

(Newser) - An Ohio judge has ordered authorities to stop using a lethal three-drug cocktail for executions because it may cause excruciating pain. Instead,  the judge ruled in favor of a single lethal dose of a barbiturate used in animal euthanasia, the New York Times reports. State officials are reviewing the...

Texas Tallies 60% of Executions
Texas Tallies 60% of Executions

Texas Tallies 60% of Executions

Capital punishment in decline elsewhere

(Newser) - As the rest of the country backed away from applying the death penalty in 2007, Texas kept up its customary pace, making the state responsible for an astounding 60% of all executions in the US. Of last year's 42 executions, 26 were in Texas, the New York Times reports. In...

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