WASHINGTON (AP) – 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 issue, said 28 inmates were executed as of Dec. 15, down from 35 last year and far below the peak of 98 in 1999.
Another 49 criminal defendants received death sentences this year, down 33 percent from 2014 and the lowest number since the early 1970s.
The numbers reflect a steady decline in death sentences over the past 15 years and a broad shift in public attitudes that has made capital punishment increasingly rare, said Robert Dunham, the group’s executive director.
“What we’re seeing is the cumulative effect of falling public support for the death penalty,” Dunham said.