Chart shows executions in the U.S. and top states; 2c x 3 1/2 inches; 96.3 mm x 88 mm; 2016 executions
Alabama› Christopher Brooks, Jan. 21Georgia› Brandon Jones, Feb. 3› Travis Hittson, Feb. 17› Joshua Bishop, March 31› Kenneth Fults, April 12› Daniel Lucas, April 27› John Conner, July 15
WASHINGTON – Is the death penalty in America gradually dying?
There have been just two executions since May 1, and the total for 2016 probably will hit a 25-year low.
Execution drug shortages, sometimes grotesque errors in death chambers and legal challenges to sentences imposed by judges have contributed to a dramatic decline in the number of states that are carrying out executions.
Just three states, Texas, Georgia and Missouri, are using the death penalty with any regularity, though Texas has not executed anyone since April. Four executions are scheduled in the state before the end of the year.