GITNUXREPORT 2026

Death Penalty Statistics

U.S. executions have declined significantly amid high costs and racial disparities.

Min-ji Park

Research Analyst focused on sustainability and consumer trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Statistic 1

Average cost of a death penalty trial in the U.S. is $1.26 million more than non-death cases

Statistic 2

California spends $137 million annually on death penalty system, enough for 1,700 new police officers

Statistic 3

Texas death penalty costs taxpayers $2.3 million per case vs. $750,000 for life without parole

Statistic 4

Maryland study: death penalty cost $186 million extra over 15 years vs. life sentences

Statistic 5

Florida death row appeals average 25 years and $3 million per inmate

Statistic 6

Kansas legislature found death cases cost 70% more than life, totaling $1.5 million extra per case

Statistic 7

North Carolina: death penalty costs $2.16 million per execution vs. $740,000 for life

Statistic 8

U.S. federal death penalty costs $90 million more annually than life sentences

Statistic 9

Pennsylvania spends $149 million yearly on death penalty for 3 executions in 25 years

Statistic 10

Nevada death penalty costs 1.9 times more than life, $532,000 extra per trial

Statistic 11

Ohio capital cases cost counties $1.7 million more on average than life cases

Statistic 12

Tennessee death penalty system costs $20.2 million more per year than alternatives

Statistic 13

Arizona spends $1 million extra per death sentence due to longer trials and appeals

Statistic 14

New Jersey abolished death penalty after $1.4 billion cost for zero executions

Statistic 15

Indiana death row costs $428,000 more per inmate annually than general population

Statistic 16

Montana capital trials cost 3 times more, $1-3 million extra per case

Statistic 17

Kentucky death penalty costs $488,311 more per case than life imprisonment

Statistic 18

South Dakota spends 44% more on death cases, averaging $1.2 million each

Statistic 19

Wyoming death penalty appeals cost $3.5 million per execution achieved

Statistic 20

Average U.S. death row housing costs $90,000 per inmate yearly vs. $45,000 for life row

Statistic 21

Colorado spent $4.1 million on one botched execution attempt in 2013

Statistic 22

Utah capital cases cost 3-4 times more, up to $2 million extra per trial

Statistic 23

Nebraska voters rejected repeal but costs hit $1.5 million per case vs. $400k life

Statistic 24

Missouri death penalty costs 2.5 times more in appeals alone, $1.3 million extra

Statistic 25

Overall U.S. death penalty costs exceed $5 billion since 1976 reinstatement

Statistic 26

Between 1976 and 2023, a total of 1,582 executions were carried out in the United States under the modern death penalty statutes

Statistic 27

In 2022, Texas conducted 5 executions, accounting for 20.8% of all U.S. executions that year which totaled 24

Statistic 28

From 1608 to 1976, over 15,000 legal executions occurred in the U.S., with hanging being the most common method until the late 19th century

Statistic 29

In 1930, the U.S. executed 155 people, primarily by electrocution in states like New York and Pennsylvania

Statistic 30

During the 1920s, an average of 140 executions per year took place in the U.S., with 80% using electrocution

Statistic 31

Georgia executed 7 people in 2022, the second-highest after Texas, using lethal injection exclusively

Statistic 32

From 1977 to 1983, no executions occurred in the U.S. due to the Furman v. Georgia moratorium

Statistic 33

In 1999, the peak year for modern executions, 98 inmates were put to death across 20 states

Statistic 34

Florida carried out 4 executions in 2023, all via lethal injection after recent protocol changes

Statistic 35

Between 2000 and 2010, U.S. executions averaged 52 per year, dropping to 20 per year from 2011-2023

Statistic 36

Missouri executed 3 people in 2023, including its first woman in over 20 years

Statistic 37

From 1890 to 1930, electrocution became the dominant method, used in 4,372 executions by 1972

Statistic 38

Oklahoma executed 2 inmates in 2024 so far, both by lethal injection after nitrogen hypoxia trials

Statistic 39

In the 1950s, annual U.S. executions peaked at 155 in 1951, mostly for murder convictions

Statistic 40

Alabama performed 3 executions in 2022 using nitrogen hypoxia for the first time federally approved

Statistic 41

From 1976-2000, Texas led with 284 executions, over 40% of the national total

Statistic 42

South Carolina executed 1 person in 2021 after a 10-year hiatus, by firing squad option

Statistic 43

In 2016, 20 executions occurred nationwide, the lowest since the moratorium lifted

Statistic 44

Virginia executed 113 people from 1976-2021 before abolishing the death penalty

Statistic 45

During WWII, U.S. executions rose to 199 in 1947 due to increased homicide rates post-war

Statistic 46

Arizona conducted 2 executions in 2023 after a 2-year pause due to drug shortages

Statistic 47

From 1900-1976, gas chambers were used in 594 U.S. executions, mainly in Western states

Statistic 48

Nebraska's last electrocution was in 1997, after which it switched to lethal injection

Statistic 49

In 2005, 60 executions marked a high, with Oklahoma leading at 8

Statistic 50

Utah executed 1 person in 2010 by lethal injection, its first since Gary Gilmore's firing squad in 1977

Statistic 51

From 1976-2023, lethal injection was used in 1,428 executions (90% of total)

Statistic 52

Indiana executed 2 in 2023, both via lethal injection post-pentobarbital approval

Statistic 53

In the 1930s, lynchings declined but legal executions averaged 167 annually

Statistic 54

Ohio executed 3 in 2020 before halting due to botched injections

Statistic 55

Cumulative U.S. executions since 1976 reached 1,600 by mid-2024

Statistic 56

68 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice as of 2023

Statistic 57

In 2022, global executions totaled 883, highest since 2017 but excluding China estimates

Statistic 58

U.S. public support for death penalty fell to 53% in 2023, lowest in 50 years

Statistic 59

144 countries are abolitionist in law or practice, 55 retain it with executions in 2022

Statistic 60

Iran executed at least 576 people in 2022, 65% for drug offenses

Statistic 61

112 countries voted UN moratorium on death penalty in 2022, up from 104 in 2021

Statistic 62

Kazakhstan abolished death penalty in 2021, 112th country worldwide

Statistic 63

U.S. Gallup poll: 60% support death penalty when given life without parole alternative

Statistic 64

China executes ~1,000-2,000 annually, most secretive globally

Statistic 65

Europe: all 46 Council of Europe members abolitionist except Belarus and Russia (suspended)

Statistic 66

Papua New Guinea abolished death penalty in 2022 after 70-year hiatus

Statistic 67

U.S. states: 23 abolished death penalty as of 2024, 27 retain with 2 moratoriums

Statistic 68

Saudi Arabia executed 196 in 2022, 41% foreigners, highest per capita rate

Statistic 69

Gallup: Democrats support dropped to 39% in 2023 from 58% in 2016

Statistic 70

Sierra Leone abolished death penalty in 2021, 111th nation

Statistic 71

Vietnam executed 85 in 2022, down from 429 in 2013 due to drug law reforms

Statistic 72

Latin America: 13/33 countries fully abolitionist, Mexico led in 2005

Statistic 73

Pew Research: 54% Americans favor death penalty in 2021, down from 80% in 1994

Statistic 74

Egypt executed 83 in 2022, up 150% from prior year amid terror charges

Statistic 75

Central Asia: 5/6 countries abolitionist post-USSR, Uzbekistan last in 2008

Statistic 76

Quinnipiac poll: 60% national support for life without parole over death

Statistic 77

Myanmar executed 4 in 2022 first in 30 years amid coup

Statistic 78

Sub-Saharan Africa: 22/54 abolitionist, Gambia rejoined in 2023

Statistic 79

U.S. youth support: only 44% of under-30s favor death penalty per 2023 Gallup

Statistic 80

UNGA: 170 countries voted against death penalty for children in 2023 resolution

Statistic 81

Singapore executed 11 in 2022, all drug-related, resuming after COVID pause

Statistic 82

Abolitionist de facto: 54 countries no executions >10 years, like India (last 2004)

Statistic 83

Gallup historical: U.S. support peaked 80% in 1994, now 53% amid decline

Statistic 84

Black Americans comprise 41.7% of death row inmates despite being 13.6% of the population as of 2023

Statistic 85

From 1976-2023, 296 Black defendants were executed for killing white victims, vs. 31 white for Black victims

Statistic 86

In Florida, Black defendants are 6 times more likely to receive death sentences than whites for similar crimes

Statistic 87

34% of those executed since 1976 were Black, while comprising only 12% of homicide offenders nationally

Statistic 88

In Texas, counties with higher Black populations impose death sentences at 3.3 times the rate of others

Statistic 89

Nationally, 53% of homicide cases involving white victims result in death sentences vs. 30% for Black victims

Statistic 90

Georgia executed 59 Black inmates out of 112 total from 1976-2023

Statistic 91

Federal death row has 42% Black inmates as of 2023, despite federal cases being 25% Black defendants

Statistic 92

In North Carolina, Black defendants received death sentences 4 times more often than whites pre-2001 reforms

Statistic 93

Pennsylvania death row is 60% Black and Latino, while state population is 11% Black

Statistic 94

Studies show prosecutors strike Black jurors at 4 times the rate of white jurors in capital cases

Statistic 95

In Oklahoma, 77% of murder victims in death penalty cases were white, leading to 42% Black executions

Statistic 96

Louisiana death sentences for Black-on-white murders are 97% more likely than others

Statistic 97

California death row has 34% Black inmates vs. 6% state population share

Statistic 98

From 1976-2005, U.S. executed 353 Black offenders for white victims vs. 31 reverse, a 12:1 ratio

Statistic 99

Alabama prosecutors sought death 9 times more for Black defendants with white victims

Statistic 100

In Missouri, Black men are 5.5 times more likely to be sentenced to death than white men

Statistic 101

Federal capital trials show Black defendants 7.6 times more likely death if victim white

Statistic 102

South Carolina death row 50% Black vs. 27% population, with 80% white victims in capital cases

Statistic 103

Kentucky studies found Black defendants 6 times more likely to get death for similar crimes

Statistic 104

In capital jury selection, 80% of Black jurors removed in Philadelphia cases

Statistic 105

Nevada executed 12 people since 1976, 50% Black despite 10% population

Statistic 106

Overall, 42% of death row exonerees are Black, higher than general execution demographics

Statistic 107

Maryland pre-moratorium: Black defendants 43% more likely death if white victim

Statistic 108

In U.S., death penalty counties have 56% more Black residents than non-death counties

Statistic 109

Ohio Black defendants 3.8 times more likely sentenced to death than whites

Statistic 110

Since 1973, 197 death row inmates exonerated from U.S. death sentences through evidence of innocence

Statistic 111

Kirk Bloodsworth was the first U.S. death row inmate exonerated by DNA in 1993 after 9 years

Statistic 112

Texas has exonerated 13 death row inmates since 1973, most via DNA or recantations

Statistic 113

Florida accounts for 30 death row exonerations, 15% of national total as of 2024

Statistic 114

Average time on death row before exoneration is 12.1 years for the 197 cleared cases

Statistic 115

Illinois exonerated 21 death row inmates, leading to moratorium and abolition in 2011

Statistic 116

Oklahoma has 10 death row exonerations, including 2 via DNA evidence since 2001

Statistic 117

1 in 8.3 death row exonerations involve official misconduct like withheld evidence

Statistic 118

Pennsylvania exonerated 9 from death row, half involving police or prosecutor errors

Statistic 119

California has 13 exonerations, longest stint 33 years for a death row inmate cleared

Statistic 120

Georgia's 6 exonerations include cases overturned by federal courts on innocence grounds

Statistic 121

Nationally, 69% of death row exonerees are people of color

Statistic 122

Alabama exonerated 2, but has high reversal rate of 80% in capital appeals

Statistic 123

Missouri's 5 exonerations average 15 years each, often due to eyewitness misID

Statistic 124

North Carolina exonerated 5, with Innocence Inquiry Commission aiding post-conviction relief

Statistic 125

Ohio has 11 death row exonerations since 1973, highest per capita rate

Statistic 126

Arizona exonerated 2, including Ray Krone via DNA after 10 years on death row

Statistic 127

Louisiana's 13 exonerations represent 7% of total U.S. death row clearances

Statistic 128

Tennessee exonerated 1 but has 90% reversal rate in capital cases due to errors

Statistic 129

South Carolina has no death row exonerations but multiple non-capital innocence cases

Statistic 130

Federal death row had 3 exonerations, including via executive clemency on innocence claims

Statistic 131

Eyewitness error present in 78% of death row exoneration cases, per DPIC data

Statistic 132

False confessions contributed to 27 death row exonerations since 1973

Statistic 133

Perjury or false accusation in 51% of death row innocence cases

Statistic 134

Since 1973, over 190 people sentenced to death have been exonerated by official acts

Statistic 135

Virginia exonerated 9 before abolition, all via DNA or new evidence

1/135

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While the death penalty's use in America has dramatically declined over the past half-century, a look at the numbers—from the 1,582 executions since 1976 to the 197 lives saved by exoneration—reveals a system fraught with profound questions of racial bias, immense financial cost, and the haunting risk of irreversible error.

Key Takeaways

Between 1976 and 2023, a total of 1,582 executions were carried out in the United States under the modern death penalty statutes
In 2022, Texas conducted 5 executions, accounting for 20.8% of all U.S. executions that year which totaled 24
From 1608 to 1976, over 15,000 legal executions occurred in the U.S., with hanging being the most common method until the late 19th century
Black Americans comprise 41.7% of death row inmates despite being 13.6% of the population as of 2023
From 1976-2023, 296 Black defendants were executed for killing white victims, vs. 31 white for Black victims
In Florida, Black defendants are 6 times more likely to receive death sentences than whites for similar crimes
Average cost of a death penalty trial in the U.S. is $1.26 million more than non-death cases
California spends $137 million annually on death penalty system, enough for 1,700 new police officers
Texas death penalty costs taxpayers $2.3 million per case vs. $750,000 for life without parole
Since 1973, 197 death row inmates exonerated from U.S. death sentences through evidence of innocence
Kirk Bloodsworth was the first U.S. death row inmate exonerated by DNA in 1993 after 9 years
Texas has exonerated 13 death row inmates since 1973, most via DNA or recantations
68 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice as of 2023
In 2022, global executions totaled 883, highest since 2017 but excluding China estimates
U.S. public support for death penalty fell to 53% in 2023, lowest in 50 years

U.S. executions have declined significantly amid high costs and racial disparities.

Cost Analysis

Average cost of a death penalty trial in the U.S. is $1.26 million more than non-death cases
California spends $137 million annually on death penalty system, enough for 1,700 new police officers
Texas death penalty costs taxpayers $2.3 million per case vs. $750,000 for life without parole
Maryland study: death penalty cost $186 million extra over 15 years vs. life sentences
Florida death row appeals average 25 years and $3 million per inmate
Kansas legislature found death cases cost 70% more than life, totaling $1.5 million extra per case
North Carolina: death penalty costs $2.16 million per execution vs. $740,000 for life
U.S. federal death penalty costs $90 million more annually than life sentences
Pennsylvania spends $149 million yearly on death penalty for 3 executions in 25 years
Nevada death penalty costs 1.9 times more than life, $532,000 extra per trial
Ohio capital cases cost counties $1.7 million more on average than life cases
Tennessee death penalty system costs $20.2 million more per year than alternatives
Arizona spends $1 million extra per death sentence due to longer trials and appeals
New Jersey abolished death penalty after $1.4 billion cost for zero executions
Indiana death row costs $428,000 more per inmate annually than general population
Montana capital trials cost 3 times more, $1-3 million extra per case
Kentucky death penalty costs $488,311 more per case than life imprisonment
South Dakota spends 44% more on death cases, averaging $1.2 million each
Wyoming death penalty appeals cost $3.5 million per execution achieved
Average U.S. death row housing costs $90,000 per inmate yearly vs. $45,000 for life row
Colorado spent $4.1 million on one botched execution attempt in 2013
Utah capital cases cost 3-4 times more, up to $2 million extra per trial
Nebraska voters rejected repeal but costs hit $1.5 million per case vs. $400k life
Missouri death penalty costs 2.5 times more in appeals alone, $1.3 million extra
Overall U.S. death penalty costs exceed $5 billion since 1976 reinstatement

Cost Analysis Interpretation

Capital justice seems to be the one area where the government consistently opts for the platinum package, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for a system so expensive and protracted it would make a luxury car warranty look sensible.

Historical Executions

Between 1976 and 2023, a total of 1,582 executions were carried out in the United States under the modern death penalty statutes
In 2022, Texas conducted 5 executions, accounting for 20.8% of all U.S. executions that year which totaled 24
From 1608 to 1976, over 15,000 legal executions occurred in the U.S., with hanging being the most common method until the late 19th century
In 1930, the U.S. executed 155 people, primarily by electrocution in states like New York and Pennsylvania
During the 1920s, an average of 140 executions per year took place in the U.S., with 80% using electrocution
Georgia executed 7 people in 2022, the second-highest after Texas, using lethal injection exclusively
From 1977 to 1983, no executions occurred in the U.S. due to the Furman v. Georgia moratorium
In 1999, the peak year for modern executions, 98 inmates were put to death across 20 states
Florida carried out 4 executions in 2023, all via lethal injection after recent protocol changes
Between 2000 and 2010, U.S. executions averaged 52 per year, dropping to 20 per year from 2011-2023
Missouri executed 3 people in 2023, including its first woman in over 20 years
From 1890 to 1930, electrocution became the dominant method, used in 4,372 executions by 1972
Oklahoma executed 2 inmates in 2024 so far, both by lethal injection after nitrogen hypoxia trials
In the 1950s, annual U.S. executions peaked at 155 in 1951, mostly for murder convictions
Alabama performed 3 executions in 2022 using nitrogen hypoxia for the first time federally approved
From 1976-2000, Texas led with 284 executions, over 40% of the national total
South Carolina executed 1 person in 2021 after a 10-year hiatus, by firing squad option
In 2016, 20 executions occurred nationwide, the lowest since the moratorium lifted
Virginia executed 113 people from 1976-2021 before abolishing the death penalty
During WWII, U.S. executions rose to 199 in 1947 due to increased homicide rates post-war
Arizona conducted 2 executions in 2023 after a 2-year pause due to drug shortages
From 1900-1976, gas chambers were used in 594 U.S. executions, mainly in Western states
Nebraska's last electrocution was in 1997, after which it switched to lethal injection
In 2005, 60 executions marked a high, with Oklahoma leading at 8
Utah executed 1 person in 2010 by lethal injection, its first since Gary Gilmore's firing squad in 1977
From 1976-2023, lethal injection was used in 1,428 executions (90% of total)
Indiana executed 2 in 2023, both via lethal injection post-pentobarbital approval
In the 1930s, lynchings declined but legal executions averaged 167 annually
Ohio executed 3 in 2020 before halting due to botched injections
Cumulative U.S. executions since 1976 reached 1,600 by mid-2024

Historical Executions Interpretation

America has steadily sanitized its practice of state-sanctioned killing, moving from the public spectacle of hanging and the brutal theater of the electric chair to the clinical, dominant use of lethal injection, yet the total number of executions in the modern era remains a chilling fraction of the thousands carried out in earlier, seemingly more barbaric times.

Public Opinion and Abolition Trends

68 countries have abolished the death penalty in law or practice as of 2023
In 2022, global executions totaled 883, highest since 2017 but excluding China estimates
U.S. public support for death penalty fell to 53% in 2023, lowest in 50 years
144 countries are abolitionist in law or practice, 55 retain it with executions in 2022
Iran executed at least 576 people in 2022, 65% for drug offenses
112 countries voted UN moratorium on death penalty in 2022, up from 104 in 2021
Kazakhstan abolished death penalty in 2021, 112th country worldwide
U.S. Gallup poll: 60% support death penalty when given life without parole alternative
China executes ~1,000-2,000 annually, most secretive globally
Europe: all 46 Council of Europe members abolitionist except Belarus and Russia (suspended)
Papua New Guinea abolished death penalty in 2022 after 70-year hiatus
U.S. states: 23 abolished death penalty as of 2024, 27 retain with 2 moratoriums
Saudi Arabia executed 196 in 2022, 41% foreigners, highest per capita rate
Gallup: Democrats support dropped to 39% in 2023 from 58% in 2016
Sierra Leone abolished death penalty in 2021, 111th nation
Vietnam executed 85 in 2022, down from 429 in 2013 due to drug law reforms
Latin America: 13/33 countries fully abolitionist, Mexico led in 2005
Pew Research: 54% Americans favor death penalty in 2021, down from 80% in 1994
Egypt executed 83 in 2022, up 150% from prior year amid terror charges
Central Asia: 5/6 countries abolitionist post-USSR, Uzbekistan last in 2008
Quinnipiac poll: 60% national support for life without parole over death
Myanmar executed 4 in 2022 first in 30 years amid coup
Sub-Saharan Africa: 22/54 abolitionist, Gambia rejoined in 2023
U.S. youth support: only 44% of under-30s favor death penalty per 2023 Gallup
UNGA: 170 countries voted against death penalty for children in 2023 resolution
Singapore executed 11 in 2022, all drug-related, resuming after COVID pause
Abolitionist de facto: 54 countries no executions >10 years, like India (last 2004)
Gallup historical: U.S. support peaked 80% in 1994, now 53% amid decline

Public Opinion and Abolition Trends Interpretation

While global momentum clearly favors abolition, the grim persistence of executions in a shrinking but defiant club of nations serves as a stark reminder that the world's moral arc is bent by those who still choose to break necks instead of breaking with the past.

Racial Disparities

Black Americans comprise 41.7% of death row inmates despite being 13.6% of the population as of 2023
From 1976-2023, 296 Black defendants were executed for killing white victims, vs. 31 white for Black victims
In Florida, Black defendants are 6 times more likely to receive death sentences than whites for similar crimes
34% of those executed since 1976 were Black, while comprising only 12% of homicide offenders nationally
In Texas, counties with higher Black populations impose death sentences at 3.3 times the rate of others
Nationally, 53% of homicide cases involving white victims result in death sentences vs. 30% for Black victims
Georgia executed 59 Black inmates out of 112 total from 1976-2023
Federal death row has 42% Black inmates as of 2023, despite federal cases being 25% Black defendants
In North Carolina, Black defendants received death sentences 4 times more often than whites pre-2001 reforms
Pennsylvania death row is 60% Black and Latino, while state population is 11% Black
Studies show prosecutors strike Black jurors at 4 times the rate of white jurors in capital cases
In Oklahoma, 77% of murder victims in death penalty cases were white, leading to 42% Black executions
Louisiana death sentences for Black-on-white murders are 97% more likely than others
California death row has 34% Black inmates vs. 6% state population share
From 1976-2005, U.S. executed 353 Black offenders for white victims vs. 31 reverse, a 12:1 ratio
Alabama prosecutors sought death 9 times more for Black defendants with white victims
In Missouri, Black men are 5.5 times more likely to be sentenced to death than white men
Federal capital trials show Black defendants 7.6 times more likely death if victim white
South Carolina death row 50% Black vs. 27% population, with 80% white victims in capital cases
Kentucky studies found Black defendants 6 times more likely to get death for similar crimes
In capital jury selection, 80% of Black jurors removed in Philadelphia cases
Nevada executed 12 people since 1976, 50% Black despite 10% population
Overall, 42% of death row exonerees are Black, higher than general execution demographics
Maryland pre-moratorium: Black defendants 43% more likely death if white victim
In U.S., death penalty counties have 56% more Black residents than non-death counties
Ohio Black defendants 3.8 times more likely sentenced to death than whites

Racial Disparities Interpretation

The grim machinery of capital punishment in America devours Black lives at a grotesquely disproportionate rate, revealing a system where the color of your skin and your victim's weighs far heavier than the facts of your crime.

Wrongful Convictions

Since 1973, 197 death row inmates exonerated from U.S. death sentences through evidence of innocence
Kirk Bloodsworth was the first U.S. death row inmate exonerated by DNA in 1993 after 9 years
Texas has exonerated 13 death row inmates since 1973, most via DNA or recantations
Florida accounts for 30 death row exonerations, 15% of national total as of 2024
Average time on death row before exoneration is 12.1 years for the 197 cleared cases
Illinois exonerated 21 death row inmates, leading to moratorium and abolition in 2011
Oklahoma has 10 death row exonerations, including 2 via DNA evidence since 2001
1 in 8.3 death row exonerations involve official misconduct like withheld evidence
Pennsylvania exonerated 9 from death row, half involving police or prosecutor errors
California has 13 exonerations, longest stint 33 years for a death row inmate cleared
Georgia's 6 exonerations include cases overturned by federal courts on innocence grounds
Nationally, 69% of death row exonerees are people of color
Alabama exonerated 2, but has high reversal rate of 80% in capital appeals
Missouri's 5 exonerations average 15 years each, often due to eyewitness misID
North Carolina exonerated 5, with Innocence Inquiry Commission aiding post-conviction relief
Ohio has 11 death row exonerations since 1973, highest per capita rate
Arizona exonerated 2, including Ray Krone via DNA after 10 years on death row
Louisiana's 13 exonerations represent 7% of total U.S. death row clearances
Tennessee exonerated 1 but has 90% reversal rate in capital cases due to errors
South Carolina has no death row exonerations but multiple non-capital innocence cases
Federal death row had 3 exonerations, including via executive clemency on innocence claims
Eyewitness error present in 78% of death row exoneration cases, per DPIC data
False confessions contributed to 27 death row exonerations since 1973
Perjury or false accusation in 51% of death row innocence cases
Since 1973, over 190 people sentenced to death have been exonerated by official acts
Virginia exonerated 9 before abolition, all via DNA or new evidence

Wrongful Convictions Interpretation

The sobering arithmetic of American capital punishment reveals that for every eight individuals freed from death row since 1973—often after more than a decade of wrongful imprisonment and frequently due to profound systemic failures—the system has, by its own official acts, confessed to a staggering margin of error that should be philosophically intolerable for a society claiming to administer ultimate justice.

Sources & References

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