Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables

U.S. Department of Justice

Oce of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Statistics

Bureau of Justice Statistics · Statistical Tables

September 2020, NCJ 254786

Capital Punishment, 2018 –

Statistical Tables

Tracy L. Snell, BJS Statistician

t year-end 2018, a total of 30 states and

the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) held

2,628 prisoners under sentence of death,

which was 75 (3%) fewer than at year-end 2017.

In 2018, the number of prisoners under sentence

of death declined for the 18th consecutive year.

irteen states and the BOP received a total

of 38 prisoners in 2018 who were under death

sentences. California (28%), Florida (13%),

and Texas (8%) held about half of the prisoners

under death sentences in the United States at

year-end 2018. Eight states executed a total of

25 prisoners in 2018, with Texas accounting for

more than half (13) of the executions.

is report presents statistics on persons who

were under sentence of death or were executed

in 2018, and on state and federal death-penalty

laws. At year-end 2018, a total of 34 states and

the federal government authorized the death

penalty (map 1). Each jurisdiction determines

the oenses for which the death penalty can be

imposed. Once a person has been convicted of a

capital oense, a separate sentencing hearing is

held. During the sentencing hearing, a jury will

consider aggravating and mitigating factors as

dened by state or federal law. Before a person

can be sentenced to death, a jury must nd

that at least one aggravating factor is present

and that mitigating factors do not outweigh the

aggravating factor(s).

MAP 1

States with and without death-penalty statutes, year-end 2018

Had a statute authorizing the death

penalty as of December 31, 2018

and carried out an execution in 2018

Had a statute authorizing the death

penalty as of December 31, 2018

but did not carry out an execution

in 2018

Had a statute authorizing the death

penalty as of December 31, 2018 that

had been invalidated by the state’s

highest court but had not been repealed

by the legislature

Had no statute authorizing the death

penalty as of December 31, 2018

Note: See table 2 for details on states that authorized the death penalty.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 2

Highlights

Nineteen states had a decrease in the number of

prisoners held under sentence of death from year-end

2017 to year-end 2018, while 2 states and the BOP had

an increase.

Eighteen states and the BOP removed a total of 88

prisoners from being under sentence of death in 2018

by means other than execution.

In 2018, the Washington Supreme Court ruled that

the state’s death-penalty law was unconstitutional,

and eight prisoners under sentence of death were

re-sentenced to life without parole.

During 2018, Delaware removed its remaining

death-row prisoner from a previously imposed

death sentence.

The largest declines in the number of prisoners under

death sentences in 2018 were in Pennsylvania and Texas

(down 11 prisoners each), followed by Washington

(down 8) and then Alabama, Florida, California, and

Nevada (down 6 each).

From year-end 2017 to year-end 2018, the number of

prisoners held under sentence of death in Arkansas

increased by two, while the BOP and Missouri each

increased their number by one.

At year-end 2018, 56% of prisoners under death

sentences were white and 42% were black.

Among prisoners under a death sentence at year-end

2018 with a known ethnicity, 15% were Hispanic.

Ninety-eight percent of prisoners under sentence of

death were male.

In three of the four (Census) regions in the country

(the West, Midwest, and South), more white prisoners

than black prisoners were under sentence of death at

year-end 2018.

The average elapsed time from sentencing to execution

almost tripled from 1988 (6.7 years) to 2018 (19.8 years).

FIGURE 1

Number of prisoners under sentence of death,

1953-2018

Number

4,000

3,500

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

1953 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2018

Note: Data on the number of prisoners under sentence of death at

year-end have been collected since 1953. See appendix table 2 for

counts.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1953-2018.

FIGURE 2

Admissions to and removals from a sentence of death,

1973-2018

Number

350

300

250

200

150

100

1973 1980 1990 2000 2010 2018

Admissions

Removals

Note: Removals can be due to any cause, including execution, other

death, or appeal. See appendix table 3 for counts.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1973-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 3

FIGURE 3

Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in

the United States, 1930-2018

Executions

200

150

100

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2018

Note: Excludes 160 executions carried out by military authorities from

1930 to 1961. See appendix table 4 for counts.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1930-2018.

FIGURE 4

Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race,

1968-2018

Number

2,000

1,500

1,000

500

White

Black

Other races

1968 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2018

Note: Data on Hispanic origin was not collected prior to 1977. See

appendix table 5 for counts.

Includes persons of Hispanic origin.

Includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacic Islanders, American

Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons for whom only ethnicity

was identied.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1968-2018.

Terms and denitions

Aggravating factors—Specic elements of a crime

dened by statute. When present, these factors may

allow a jury to impose a death sentence for a person

convicted of a capital oense. These can also be called

aggravating circumstances.

Capital conviction—A formal declaration that a

defendant is guilty of a capital oense, made by the

verdict of a jury, the decision of a judge, or a guilty plea

by the defendant in a court of law.

Capital oense—A criminal oense that may be

punishable by death. Oenses that are eligible for

a death sentence are dened by statute in each

jurisdiction that authorizes capital punishment. The

most common is rst-degree murder accompanied by at

least one aggravating factor.

Capital punishment—The process of sentencing

convicted oenders to death for the most serious crimes

and carrying out that sentence. The specic oenses

and circumstances that determine if a crime is eligible

for a death sentence are dened by statute and are

prescribed by Congress or a state legislature.

Capital statute—A state or federal law dictating

specic crimes that are eligible for a death sentence and

specic procedures to be followed in carrying out such

a sentence.

Civil authorities—For the purposes of this report, the

state or federal entities responsible for implementation

and enforcement of capital-punishment laws, excluding

military authorities.

Commutation—Reduction of a death sentence by

the president (federal) or by a governor or a board of

advisors empaneled to review sentences (state). Criteria

for granting a commutation vary by state. The new

sentence can be for life or to a term of years.

Death row—A slang term referring to the area of a

prison in which prisoners under sentence of death

are housed. Usage of the term “death row” continues

despite the fact that many states do not maintain a

separate unit or facility for prisoners under sentence

of death.

Received under sentence of death—The admission of

a person to prison after they are sentenced to death by

a court.

Removal from being under sentence of death—The

removal of a prisoner who was previously sentenced

to death from the count of persons under sentence of

death. A prisoner can be relieved of a death sentence

by several methods: execution, death by causes other

than execution, commutation, or an overturned capital

conviction or sentence.

Sentence of death—A sentence imposed by a court for

a capital oense that authorizes the state to execute a

convicted oender.

Year-end—As of December 31 of the calendar year.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 4

List of tables

TABLE 1. Status of the death penalty, December 31, 2018

TABLE 2. Capital oenses, by state, 2018

TABLE 3. Federal capital oenses, 2018

TABLE 4. Authorized methods of execution, by state, 2018

TABLE 5. Movement of prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race,

2017 and 2018

TABLE 6. Demographic characteristics of prisoners under sentence of death, 2018

TABLE 7. Female prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2017 and 2018

TABLE 8. Hispanic prisoners under sentence of death, by region and jurisdiction, 2017 and 2018

TABLE 9. Criminal history of prisoners under sentence of death, by race or ethnicity, 2018

TABLE 10. Prisoners removed from being under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and

method of removal, 2018

TABLE 11. Average elapsed time between sentencing and execution, 1977-2018

TABLE 12. Number of prisoners executed, by race or ethnicity, 1977-2018

TABLE 13. Number of executions, by method and jurisdiction, 1977-2018

TABLE 14. Cumulative number of executions at year-end 2018, by jurisdiction, since 1930 and

since 1977

List of figures

MAP 1. States with and without death-penalty statutes, year-end 2018

FIGURE 1. Number of prisoners under sentence of death, 1953-2018

FIGURE 2. Admissions to and removals from a sentence of death, 1973-2018

FIGURE 3. Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in the United States, 1930-2018

FIGURE 4. Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race, 1968-2018

FIGURE 5. Advance count of executions, January 1, 2019-December 31, 2019

List of appendix tables

APPENDIX TABLE 1. Demographic characteristics for prisoners under sentence of death, 2018

APPENDIX TABLE 2. Number of prisoners under sentence of death, 1953-2018

APPENDIX TABLE 3. Admissions to and removals from a sentence of death, 1973-2018

APPENDIX TABLE 4. Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in the United States,

1930-2018

APPENDIX TABLE 5. Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race, 1968-2018

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 5

Status of the death penalty in 2018

At year-end 2018, a total of 34 states and the federal

government authorized the death penalty for certain

oenses (tables 1, 2, and 3). Although New Mexico

repealed its death penalty in 2009 (2009 N.M. Laws,

ch. 11 § 5), the repeal was not retroactive, and

oenders charged with a capital oense committed

prior to the repeal date may be eligible for a death

sentence. As of December 31, 2018, New Mexico held

two men under death sentences.

e Washington State Supreme Court declared the

state’s death-penalty statute unconstitutional on

October 11, 2018. e court found in State v. Gregory

(192 Wash. 2d 1, 427 P.3d 621 (2018)) that the death

penalty was administered in an “arbitrary and racially

biased manner” and, therefore, violated the state

constitution. e ruling resulted in the removal of

eight prisoners from being under sentence of death

in Washington. e state’s legislature has not acted to

repeal the statute.

During 2018, the Alabama state legislature revised

statutory provisions for the death penalty. ey added

murder committed in the presence of a child younger

than age 14 when the murder victim was a parent to

that child (Ala. Stat. Ann. § 13A-5-40(a)(20)) to the list

of oenses eligible for a death sentence. e state also

added as aggravating factors the murder committed

either against a victim younger than age 14 or in the

presence of a child younger than age 14 when the

murder victim was a parent to that child (Ala. Stat.

Ann. § 13A-5-49 (11) and (12)). ese changes became

eective August 1, 2018.

South Dakota amended its code of criminal procedure

to prohibit persons with severe mental illness from

being sentenced to death (SDCL §§ 23A-27A-26.1 to

23A-27A-26.7). Persons deemed prior to trial to have

severe mental illness whose oenses occurred aer the

law’s enactment will be sentenced to life imprisonment

if convicted. e law became eective July 1, 2018.

TABLE 1

Status of the death penalty, December 31, 2018

Executions in 2018

Number of prisoners under

sentence of death in states

with a death-penalty statute

States with death-penalty statute

invalidated by state’s highest court

but not repealed by legislature

Jurisdictions with no

statute authorizing the

death penalty (17)

Texas 13 California 736 Delaware Alaska

Tennessee 3 Florida 344 New York Connecticut

Alabama 2 Texas 223 Washington District of Columbia

Florida 2 Alabama 176 Hawaii

Georgia 2 Pennsylvania 143 Illinois

Nebraska 1 North Carolina 140 Iowa

Ohio 1 Ohio 137 Maine

South Dakota 1 Arizona 116 Maryland

Nevada 75 Massachusetts

Louisiana 69 Michigan

Federal Bureau of Prisons 61 Minnesota

Tennessee 57 New Jersey

Georgia 50 North Dakota

Oklahoma 47 Rhode Island

Mississippi 43 Vermont

17 other states* 211 West Virginia

Wisconsin

Total 25 Total 2,628

Note: See table 2 for information on statutes.

New Mexico repealed its death penalty for capital oenses committed on or after July 1, 2009. As of December 31, 2018, two males in New Mexico

were under previously imposed death sentences. The other states with prisoners under sentence of death were Ark., Colo., Idaho, Ind., Kan., Ky., Mo.,

Mont., Neb., N.H., Ore., S.C., S.D., Va., and Utah. Wyoming held no prisoners under sentence of death during 2018.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 6

TABLE 2

Capital oenses, by state, 2018

State Oense

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Indiana

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Virginia

Washington

Wyoming

Intentional murder (Ala. Stat. Ann. § 13A-5-40(a)(1)-(20)) with 12 aggravating factors (Ala. Stat. Ann. § 13A-5-49).

First-degree murder, including pre-meditated murder and felony murder, accompanied by at least 1 of 14 aggravating

factors (A.R.S. § 13-703(F)).

Capital murder (Ark. Code Ann. § 5-10-101) with a nding of at least 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances; and treason (Ark.

Code Ann. § 5-51-201).

First-degree murder with special circumstances; military sabotage; train-wreck causing death; treason; perjury resulting in

execution of an innocent person; and fatal assault by a prisoner serving a life sentence.

First-degree murder with at least 1 of 17 aggravating factors; rst-degree kidnapping resulting in death; and treason.

First-degree murder (11 Del. C. § 636) with at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance (11 Del. C. § 4209).

First-degree murder with aggravating factors; felony murder; and capital drug-tracking felonies.

Murder with aggravating circumstances; rape, armed robbery, or kidnapping with bodily injury or ransom when the victim

dies; aircraft hijacking; and treason (O.C.G.A. § 17-10-30).

First-degree murder with aggravating factors; rst-degree kidnapping; and perjury resulting in the execution of an

innocent person.

Murder with 18 aggravating circumstances (I.C. 35-50-2-9).

Intentional and pre-meditated killing of a person in 1 or more of 7 dierent circumstances (K.S.A. 21-5401).

Capital murder with the presence of at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance; and capital kidnapping (K.R.S. 532.025).

First-degree murder with aggravating circumstances (La. R.S. 14:30); and treason (La. R.S. 14:113).

Capital murder with aggravating circumstances (Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-19(2)); and aircraft piracy (Miss. Code Ann.

§ 97-25-55(1)).

First-degree murder with at least 1 statutory aggravating circumstance (565.020 R.S.M.O. 2000).

Capital murder with 1 of 9 aggravating circumstances (Mont. Code Ann. § 46-18-303); aggravated kidnapping resulting

in death of victim or rescuer; felony murder; aggravated assault or aggravated kidnapping while in detention; and capital

sexual intercourse without consent (Mont. Code Ann. § 45-5-503).

First-degree murder with a nding of 1 or more statutory aggravating circumstances.

First-degree murder with at least 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances (N.R.S. 200.030, 200.033, 200.035).

Murder committed in the course of rape, kidnapping, drug crimes, or home invasion; killing of a police ocer, judge,

or prosecutor; murder for hire; and murder by a prisoner while serving a sentence of life without parole (R.S.A. 630:1,

R.S.A. 630:5).

First-degree murder with at least 1 of 7 aggravating factors (N.M.S.A. 1978 § 31-20A-5).

First-degree murder with 1 of 13 aggravating factors (NY Penal Law §125.27).

First-degree murder (N.C.G.S. §14-17) with the nding of at least 1 of 11 statutory aggravating circumstances (N.C.G.S.

§ 15A-2000).

Aggravated murder with at least 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances (O.R.C. 2903.01, 2929.02, and 2929.04).

First-degree murder (21 O.S. § 701.7) in conjunction with a nding of at least 1 of 8 statutorily dened aggravating

circumstances (21 O.S. § 701.12) .

Aggravated murder (O.R.S. 163.095).

First-degree murder (18 Pa.C.S.A § 2502(a)) with 18 aggravating circumstances (42 Pa.C.S.A § 9711).

Murder with at least 1 of 12 aggravating circumstances (§ 16-3-20(C)(a)).

First-degree murder (S.D.C.L. 22-16-4) with 1 of 10 aggravating circumstances (S.D.C.L. 23A-27A-1).

First-degree murder (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-202) with 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances (Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-204).

Criminal homicide with 1 of 9 statutory aggravators (Tex. Penal Code § 19.03).

Aggravated murder (Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-202).

Pre-meditated murder with 1 of 15 aggravating circumstances (VA Code § 18.2-31(1-15)).

Aggravated rst-degree murder.

First-degree murder; and murder during the commission of sexual assault, sexual abuse of a minor, arson, robbery,

burglary, escape, resisting arrest, kidnapping, or abuse of a minor younger than age 16 (W.S.A. § 6-2-101(a)).

The Delaware Supreme Court held that a portion of Delaware’s death-penalty-sentencing statute (11 Del. C. § 4209) was unconstitutional (Rauf v.

State, 145 A.3d 430 (Del. 2016)). No legislative action has been taken to amend the statute. As a result, capital cases are no longer pursued in Delaware.

New Mexico enacted a prospective repeal of its capital statute as of July 1, 2009. Oenders who committed capital oenses on or before that date

are eligible for the death penalty.

The New York Court of Appeals held that a portion of New York’s death-penalty-sentencing statute (CPL 400.27) was unconstitutional (People v. Taylor,

9 N.Y. 3d 129 (2007)). No legislative action has been taken to amend the statute. As a result, capital cases are no longer pursued in New York.

The Washington Supreme Court has declared the state’s death-penalty statute unconstitutional (State v. Gregory, 192 Wash. 2d 1, 427 P.3d 621

(2018)). No legislative action has been taken to repeal the statute.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 7

TABLE 3

Federal capital oenses, 2018

Federal statute Oense

8 U.S.C. § 1342 Murder related to the smuggling of aliens.

18 U.S.C. §§ 32-34 Destruction of aircraft, motor vehicles, or related facilities, resulting in death.

18 U.S.C. § 36 Murder committed during a drug-related drive-by shooting.

18 U.S.C. § 37 Murder committed at an airport serving international civil aviation.

18 U.S.C. § 115(b)(3) [by cross-reference

to 18 U.S.C. § 1111]

Retaliatory murder of a member of the immediate family of a law enforcement ocial.

18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 242, 245, 247 Civil-rights oenses resulting in death.

18 U.S.C. § 351 [by cross-reference to 18 U.S.C. § 1111] Murder of a member of Congress, an important executive ocial, or a U.S. Supreme

Court justice.

18 U.S.C. § 794 Espionage.

18 U.S.C. §§ 844(d), (f ), (i) Death resulting from oenses involving transportation of explosives, destruction of

government property, or destruction of property related to foreign or interstate commerce.

18 U.S.C. § 924(i) Murder committed by the use of a rearm during a crime of violence or a drug-tracking crime.

18 U.S.C. § 930 Murder committed in a federal government facility.

18 U.S.C. § 1091 Genocide.

18 U.S.C. § 1111 First-degree murder.

18 U.S.C. § 1114 Murder of a federal judge or law enforcement ocial.

18 U.S.C. § 1116 Murder of a foreign ocial.

18 U.S.C. § 1118 Murder by a federal prisoner.

18 U.S.C. § 1119 Murder of a U.S. national in a foreign country.

18 U.S.C. § 1120 Murder by an escaped federal prisoner already sentenced to life imprisonment.

18 U.S.C. § 1121 Murder of a state or local law enforcement ocial or other person aiding in a federal

investigation; or murder of a state correctional ocer.

18 U.S.C. § 1201 Murder during a kidnapping.

18 U.S.C. § 1203 Murder during a hostage-taking.

18 U.S.C. § 1503 Murder of a court ocer or juror.

18 U.S.C. § 1512 Murder with the intent of preventing testimony by a witness, a victim, or an informant.

18 U.S.C. § 1513 Retaliatory murder of a witness, a victim, or an informant.

18 U.S.C. § 1716 Mailing of injurious articles with intent to kill or resulting in death.

18 U.S.C. § 1751 [by cross-reference to

18 U.S.C. § 1111]

Assassination or kidnapping resulting in the death of the U.S. president or U.S. vice president.

18 U.S.C. § 1958 Murder for hire.

18 U.S.C. § 1959 Murder involved in a racketeering oense.

18 U.S.C. § 1992 Willful wrecking of a train resulting in death.

18 U.S.C. § 2113 Murder or kidnapping related to bank robbery.

18 U.S.C. § 2119 Murder related to a carjacking.

18 U.S.C. § 2245 Murder related to rape or child molestation.

18 U.S.C. § 2251 Murder related to sexual exploitation of children.

18 U.S.C. § 2280 Murder committed during an oense against maritime navigation.

18 U.S.C. § 2281 Murder committed during an oense against a maritime xed platform.

18 U.S.C. § 2332 Terrorist murder of a U.S. national in another country.

18 U.S.C. § 2332a Murder by the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

18 U.S.C. § 2340 Murder involving torture.

18 U.S.C. § 2381 Treason.

21 U.S.C. § 848(e) Murder related to a continuing criminal enterprise, or related murder of a federal, state, or local

law enforcement ocer.

49 U.S.C. §§ 1472-1473 Death resulting from aircraft hijacking.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 8

Authorized methods of execution in 2018

Methods of execution are dened by statute and

vary by jurisdiction. In 2018, all 34 states with a

death-penalty statute authorized lethal injection

as a method of execution (table 4). Sixteen states

authorized one or more alternative methods of

execution: electrocution (9 states), lethal gas (3),

hanging (3), ring squad (3), and nitrogen hypoxia (3).

In states that authorized multiple methods of

execution, the condemned prisoner could usually select

the method. Five states (Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky,

Tennessee, and Utah) stipulated which method must

be used, depending on the date of either the oense

or sentencing. New Hampshire authorized hanging

only if lethal injection could not be given. Five states

authorized alternative methods if lethal injection was

ruled to be unconstitutional: Delaware authorized

hanging; Mississippi and Oklahoma authorized

electrocution, ring squad, or nitrogen hypoxia; Utah

authorized ring squad; and Wyoming authorized

lethal gas.

Federal prisoners are executed by lethal injection,

pursuant to 28 C.F.R. Part 26. For oenses prosecuted

under the federal Violent Crime Control and Law

Enforcement Act of 1994, the law of the state in which

the conviction took place dictates the method used

(18 U.S.C. § 3596).

Advance count of executions in 2019

The Bureau of Justice Statistics gathers information

following each execution to provide the most recent

data on capital punishment in advance of the annual

data collection. The data include the date, jurisdiction,

and method of execution, and the race and Hispanic

origin for each person executed.

From January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019, seven

states executed 22 prisoners, which was 3 fewer than

the number executed in 2018 (gure 5). Texas (9

prisoners) executed the largest number of prisoners

during this period, followed by Alabama, Georgia, and

Tennessee (3 prisoners each). Twenty of the executions

in 2019 were by lethal injection, while 2 (in Tennessee)

were by electrocution. Fourteen of those executed were

white, 7 were black, and 1 was Hispanic. No females

were executed during this period.

Final counts for 2019 will appear in Capital Punishment,

2019. This annual report will consist of data collected

from state and federal correctional agencies. The

report will cover all persons under sentence of death

on December 31, 2019, as well as those removed from

being under sentence of death during the year.

FIGURE 5

Advance count of executions, January 1, 2019-

December 31, 2019

Jurisdiction

Total

Texas

Alabama

Georgia

Tennessee

Florida

Missouri

South Dakota

Number of executions

0 5 10 15 20 25

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics

program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 9

TABLE 4

Authorized methods of execution by state 2018 , ,

Jurisdiction Lethal injection Electrocution Lethal gas Hanging Firing squad Nitrogen hypoxia

Total 34 9 3 3 3 3

Alabama   

Arizona

 

Arkansas

 

California



Colorado 

Delaware

 

Florida  

Georgia 

Idaho 

Indiana 

Kansas 

Kentucky

 

Louisiana 

Mississippi

   

Missouri  

Montana 

Nebraska 

Nevada 

New Hampshire

 

New Mexico



New York 

North Carolina 

Ohio 

Oklahoma

   

Oregon 

Pennsylvania 

South Carolina  

South Dakota



Tennessee

 

Texas 

Utah

 

Virginia  

Washington  

Wyoming

 

Note: The method of execution of federal prisoners is lethal injection, pursuant to 28 C.F.R. Part 26. For oenses prosecuted under the Violent Crime

Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the execution method is that of the state in which the conviction took place (18 U.S.C. § 3596).

Authorizes lethal injection for persons sentenced after November 23,1992. Prisoners sentenced before that date may select lethal injection or gas.

Authorizes lethal injection for persons whose oense occurred on or after July 4, 1983. Prisoners whose oense occurred before that date may select

lethal injection or electrocution. Electrocution is the authorized method if lethal injection is invalidated by an unappealable court order.

Both lethal injection and lethal gas are authorized by statute (Cal. Pen. Code 3604). However, use of lethal gas was invalidated by a federal court

(Fierro v. Terhune, 147 F.3d 1158, 1160 (9th Cir. 1998)).

Authorizes hanging if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Authorizes lethal injection for persons sentenced on or after March 31, 1998. Prisoners sentenced before that date may select lethal injection

or electrocution.

Authorizes nitrogen hypoxia if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional, electrocution if both lethal injection and nitrogen hypoxia are held to be

unconstitutional, and ring squad if all other methods are held to be unconstitutional.

Authorizes hanging only if lethal injection cannot be given.

Authorizes lethal injection for persons whose capital oense occurred prior to July 1, 2009.

Any person sentenced to death before July 1, 2017 may choose to be executed in the manner provided by South Dakota law at the time of the

person’s conviction or sentence.

Authorizes lethal injection for persons whose capital oense occurred after December 31, 1998. Prisoners whose oense occurred before that date

may select electrocution by written waiver. Electrocution is the authorized method if a court or the commissioner of corrections determines that lethal

injection cannot be given. If both methods are ruled unconstitutional, state law allows for the use of any method that is constitutional.

Authorizes ring squad if lethal injection is held unconstitutional. Prisoners who selected execution by ring squad prior to May 3, 2004, may still be

entitled to execution by that method.

Authorizes lethal gas if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 10

Methodology

e Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collects

information about capital punishment each year

through the National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8). BJS collects this data series in two parts:

Data on persons under sentence of death are

obtained from the department of corrections in each

jurisdiction that authorizes capital punishment.

e status of death-penalty statutes is obtained

from the Oce of the Attorney General in each of

the 50 states, the Oce of the U.S. Attorney in the

District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of

Prisons for the federal government.

Data-collection forms are available on the BJS website

at www.bjs.gov

e NPS-8 covers all persons under a state or federal

civil sentence of death at any time during the year. is

includes capital oenders transferred from prison to

a mental institution and those who may have escaped

from custody. It excludes persons sentenced to death

under the Uniform Code of Military Justice and those

whose death sentences have been overturned by a

court or an executive action, regardless of their current

incarceration status.

Statistics in this report may dier from data collected

by other organizations for various reasons:

e NPS-8 adds prisoners to the population under

sentence of death at the time they are admitted to a

state or federal correctional facility, not at the time

they are sentenced.

If prisoners entered prison under a death sentence or

were reported as being relieved of a death sentence

in one year but the admission or removal occurred

in a previous year, counts are adjusted to reect the

actual date of sentence or removal.

NPS-8 counts are for the last day of the calendar year

and will dier from counts for more recent periods.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 11

TABLE 5

Movement of prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2017 and 2018

Region and

jurisdiction

U.S. total

Prisoners under sentence

of death, 12/31/17

Total

White

Black

2,703 1,508 1,129

Received under

sentence of death, 2018

Total

White

Black

38 28 9

Removed from death row

(excluding executions), 2018

Total

White

Black

88 48 38

Executed, 2018

Total

White

Black

25 19 6

Prisoners under sentence

of death, 12/31/18

Total

White

Black

2,628 1,469 1,094

Federal

60 33 26 2 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 61 35 25

State 2,643 1,475 1,103 36 26 9 87 48 37 25 19 6 2,567 1,434 1,069

Northeast 155 71 81 1 1 0 12 7 5 0 0 0 144 65 76

New Hampshire 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

New York 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Pennsylvania 154 71 80 1 1 0 12 7 5 0 0 0 143 65 75

Midwest 196 102 93 6 4 2 4 3 1 3 3 0 195 100 94

Indiana 10 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 7 3

Kansas 10 7 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 7 3

Missouri 24 17 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 18 7

Nebraska 11 8 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 11 8 3

Ohio 138 60 77 4 2 2 4 3 1 1 1 0 137 58 78

South Dakota 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 2 0

South 1,286 668 600 22 16 5 39 16 22 22 16 6 1,247 652 577

Alabama 182 88 93 3 3 0 7 1 5 2 2 0 176 88 88

Arkansas 29 14 15 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 16 15

Delaware 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Florida 350 215 134 7 6 1 11 4 7 2 2 0 344 215 128

Georgia 55 25 30 0 0 0 3 2 1 2 0 2 50 23 27

Kentucky 32 27 5 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 30 25 5

Louisiana 71 23 48 1 1 0 3 1 2 0 0 0 69 23 46

Mississippi 43 19 23 2 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 43 18 24

North Carolina 143 58 78 0 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0 140 56 77

Oklahoma 48 22 23 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 47 22 21

South Carolina 35 16 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 16 19

Tennessee 60 32 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 57 29 27

Texas 234 128 102 6 3 3 4 1 3 13 9 4 223 121 98

Virginia 3 1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2

West 1,006 634 329 7 5 2 32 22 9 0 0 0 981 617 322

Arizona 120 94 19 2 0 2 6 5 1 0 0 0 116 89 20

California 742 438 272 5 5 0 11 7 3 0 0 0 736 436 269

Colorado 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 3

Idaho 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 0

Montana 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0

Nevada 81 50 29 0 0 0 6 4 2 0 0 0 75 46 27

New Mexico 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0

Oregon 30 27 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 27 2

Utah 9 7 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 8 6 1

Washington 8 5 3 0 0 0 8 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wyoming 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Note: Some counts for year-end 2017 are revised from those reported in Capital Punishment, 2017: Selected Findings (NCJ 253060, BJS, July 2019). The revised

counts include 5 prisoners who were reported late to the National Prisoner Statistics program or were not in the custody of state correctional authorities on

December 31, 2017 (1 in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 1 in Florida, 1 in Mississippi, and 2 in Oklahoma). The revised counts exclude 5 prisoners who were relieved

of a death sentence before December 31, 2017 (3 in Mississippi and 2 in Nevada).

Based on U.S. Census Bureau’s regions and divisions of the United States. https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf

Includes 16 deaths from natural causes (2 each in Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania and 1 each in Florida, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina,

Ohio, and Utah); 4 deaths by suicide (2 in California and 1 each in Alabama and Oklahoma); 3 deaths from acute drug toxicity (California), and 1 death from murder

by another prisoner (California).

Includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacic Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons for whom only ethnicity was identied.

Includes persons of Hispanic origin.

Excludes persons held under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Armed Forces with a military death sentence for murder.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 12

TABLE 6

Demographic characteristics of prisoners under sentence of death, 2018

Demographic characteristic Total year-end Admissions Removals

Total 2,628 38 113

Sex

Male 98.0% 100% 100%

Female 2.0 0.0 0.0

Race

White

55.9% 73.7% 59.3%

Black

41.6 23.7 38.9

Other

a,b

2.5 2.6 1.8

Ethnicity

Hispanic 15.0% 23.7% 14.2%

Non-Hispanic 85.0 76.3 85.8

Age

18-19 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%

20-24 0.2 2.6 0.0

25-29 1.9 15.8 0.9

30-34 4.9 21.1 6.2

35-39 9.4 18.4 9.7

40-44 14.1 13.2 8.8

45-49 18.0 7.9 17.7

50-54 15.8 7.9 12.4

55-59 15.6 7.9 14.2

60-64 9.8 5.3 12.4

65 or older 10.2 0.0 17.7

Average age

Mean 50 yrs. 40 yrs. 53 yrs.

Median 50 38 51

Education

8th grade or less 11.8% 0.0% 14.8%

9th-11th grade 34.6 38.9 33.0

High-school graduate/GED 44.2 50.0 42.0

Any college 9.3 11.1 10.2

Median education level 12th grade 12th grade 12th grade

Marital status

Married 21.3% 26.1% 16.3%

Divorced/separated 19.5 17.4 28.3

Widowed 3.6 8.7 5.4

Never married 55.5 47.8 50.0

Note: Percentages are based on prisoners for whom data were reported. Details may not sum to 100% due to

rounding. See appendix table 1 for counts.

Includes persons of Hispanic origin.

Includes 38 Asians, 6 Native Hawaiians or Other Pacic Islanders, and 21 American Indians or Alaska Natives

(AIANs) at year-end 2018. One AIAN prisoner was admitted and 2 Asian prisoners were removed during 2018.

Excludes 238 prisoners from total year-end and 7 removals because ethnicity was unknown.

Excludes 541 prisoners from total year-end, 20 admissions, and 25 removals because education level

was unknown.

Excludes 368 prisoners from total year-end, 15 admissions, and 21 removals because marital status

was unknown.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 13

TABLE 7

Female prisoners under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and race, 2017 and 2018

Region and

jurisdiction

U.S. total

Under sentence of death, 12/31/17

Total

White

Black

53 39 11

Received under

sentence of

death, 2018

Removed

from death

row, 2018

Under sentence of death, 12/31/18

Total

White

Black

53 39 11

Federal 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

State 52 38 11 0 0 52 38 11

Midwest 2 1 1 0 0 2 1 1

Indiana 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1

Ohio 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

South 22 14 7 0 0 22 14 7

Alabama 5 4 1 0 0 5 4 1

Florida 3 1 2 0 0 3 1 2

Kentucky 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

Louisiana 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1

Mississippi 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

North Carolina 3 1 1 0 0 3 1 1

Oklahoma 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

Tennessee 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

Texas 6 4 2 0 0 6 4 2

West 28 23 3 0 0 28 23 3

Arizona 3 3 0 0 0 3 3 0

California 23 18 3 0 0 23 18 3

Idaho 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

Oregon 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

Based on U.S. Census Bureau’s regions and divisions of the United States. https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf

Includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacic Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Includes persons of Hispanic origin. Counts may dier from other tables in this report.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 14

TABLE 8

Hispanic prisoners under sentence of death, by region and jurisdiction, 2017 and 2018

Received under Removed from death

Region and jurisdiction*

Under sentence

of death, 12/31/17

sentence

of death, 2018

row (excluding

executions), 2018 Executed, 2018

Under sentence of

death, 12/31/18

U.S. total 365 9 10 5 359

Federal 7 0 0 0 7

State 358 9 10 5 352

Northeast 17 0 1 0 16

Pennsylvania 17 0 1 0 16

Midwest 9 1 0 0 10

Nebraska 5 1 0 0 6

Ohio 4 0 0 0 4

South 100 3 2 5 96

Alabama 1 0 0 0 1

Delaware 1 0 0 0 1

Florida 23 1 1 1 22

Georgia 2 0 0 0 2

Louisiana 2 0 0 0 2

Mississippi 1 0 0 0 1

North Carolina 4 0 1 0 3

Oklahoma 1 0 0 0 1

South Carolina 1 0 0 0 1

Tennessee 1 0 0 0 1

Texas 63 2 0 4 61

West 232 5 7 0 230

Arizona 24 0 0 0 24

California 193 5 5 0 193

Idaho 1 0 0 0 1

Nevada 8 0 1 0 7

Oregon 3 0 0 0 3

Utah 3 0 1 0 2

*Based on U.S. Census Bureau’s regions and divisions of the United States. https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 15

TABLE 9

Criminal history of prisoners under sentence of death, by race or ethnicity, 2018

All prisoners

White

Black

Hispanic

U.S. total 100% 100% 100% 100%

Prior felony conviction

Yes 67.8% 63.9% 73.1% 65.8%

No 32.2 36.1 26.9 34.2

Prior homicide conviction

Yes 9.4% 9.2% 10.1% 9.0%

No 90.6 90.8 89.9 91.0

Legal status at time of capital oense

Charge pending 8.1% 9.7% 7.4% 5.5%

Probation 11.2 10.2 11.1 14.4

Parole 16.3 14.0 18.1 17.7

On escape 1.2 1.7 0.8 0.9

Incarcerated 4.0 5.2 3.1 3.1

Other status 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3

None 59.1 59.2 59.3 58.1

Note: Percentages are based on prisoners for whom data were reported. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.

Includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacic Islanders, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Excludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).

Excludes 200 prisoners because data were not reported.

Excludes 33 prisoners because data were not reported.

Excludes 296 prisoners because data were not reported.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 16

TABLE 10

Prisoners removed from being under sentence of death, by region, jurisdiction, and method of removal, 2018

Region and

jurisdiction

Total Execution Other death

Sentence

commuted

Appeals court or higher court overturned—

Capital Capital conviction Death

statute and sentence sentence only

U.S. total 113 25 24 3 9 10 42

Federal 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

State 112 25 24 3 9 10 41

Northeast 12 0 2 0 0 4 6

Pennsylvania 12 0 2 0 0 4 6

Midwest 7 3 1 2 0 1 0

Nebraska 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

Ohio 5 1 1 2 0 1 0

South Dakota 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

South 61 22 9 1 1 3 25

Alabama 9 2 3 0 0 0 4

Delaware 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

Florida 13 2 1 0 0 0 10

Georgia 5 2 2 0 0 0 1

Kentucky 2 0 1 0 1 0 0

Louisiana 3 0 0 0 0 2 1

Mississippi 2 0 0 0 0 0 2

North Carolina 3 0 1 0 0 0 2

Oklahoma 2 0 1 0 0 0 1

Tennessee 3 3 0 0 0 0 0

Texas 17 13 0 1 0 1 2

Virginia 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

West 32 0 12 0 8 2 10

Arizona 6 0 2 0 0 0 4

California 11 0 8 0 0 1 2

Nevada 6 0 1 0 0 1 4

Utah 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

Washington 8 0 0 0 8 0 0

Based on U.S. Census Bureau’s regions and divisions of the United States. https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf

In 2018, other deaths were due to natural causes, suicide, acute drug toxicity, and homicide by another prisoner.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 17

TABLE 11

Average elapsed time between sentencing and

execution, 1977-2018

Year

Executions

Average elapsed time from

sentence to execution

Total 1,490 144 mos.

1977 1 3

1979 2 42

1981 1 13

1982 2 53

1983 5 71

1984 21 74

1985 18 71

1986 18 87

1987 25 86

1988 11 80

1989 16 95

1990 23 95

1991 14 116

1992 31 114

1993 38 113

1994 31 122

1995 56 134

1996 45 125

1997 74 133

1998 68 130

1999 98 143

2000 85 137

2001 66 142

2002 71 127

2003 65 131

2004 59 132

2005 60 147

2006 53 145

2007 42 153

2008 37 139

2009 52 169

2010 46 178

2011 43 198

2012 43 190

2013 39 186

2014 35 218

2015 28 195

2016 20 204

2017 23 243

2018 25 238

Note: In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated capital-punishment

statutes in several states (Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972)),

eecting a moratorium on executions. Executions resumed in 1977

when the court found that revisions to statutes in several states had

eectively addressed the matters previously held unconstitutional

(Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) and its companion cases).

No executions were carried out in 1978 or 1980.

Average time was calculated from the most recent sentencing date.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1977-2018.

TABLE 12

Number of prisoners executed, by race or ethnicity,

1977-2018

Year

All

executions White

Black

Hispanic Other

b,c

Total 1,490 836 508 132 14

1977 1 1 0 0 0

1979 2 2 0 0 0

1981 1 1 0 0 0

1982 2 1 1 0 0

1983 5 4 1 0 0

1984 21 13 8 0 0

1985 18 9 7 2 0

1986 18 9 7 2 0

1987 25 11 11 3 0

1988 11 6 5 0 0

1989 16 6 8 2 0

1990 23 16 7 0 0

1991 14 6 7 1 0

1992 31 17 11 2 1

1993 38 19 14 4 1

1994 31 19 11 1 0

1995 56 31 22 2 1

1996 45 29 14 2 0

1997 74 41 26 5 2

1998 68 40 18 8 2

1999 98 53 33 9 3

2000 85 43 35 6 1

2001 66 45 17 3 1

2002 71 47 18 6 0

2003 65 41 20 3 1

2004 59 36 19 3 1

2005 60 38 19 3 0

2006 53 25 20 8 0

2007 42 22 14 6 0

2008 37 17 17 3 0

2009 52 24 21 7 0

2010 46 28 13 5 0

2011 43 22 16 5 0

2012 43 25 11 7 0

2013 39 23 13 3 0

2014 35 12 18 5 0

2015 28 11 10 7 0

2016 20 16 2 2 0

2017 23 13 8 2 0

2018 25 14 6 5 0

Note: In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated capital-punishment

statutes in several states (Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972)),

eecting a moratorium on executions. Executions resumed in 1977

when the court found that revisions to statutes in several states had

eectively addressed the matters previously held unconstitutional

(Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) and its companion cases).

No executions were carried out in 1978 or 1980.

Excludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic

whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).

Includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacic Islanders, American

Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1977-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 18

TABLE 13

Number of executions by method and jurisdiction 1977-2018 , ,

Jurisdiction All methods Lethal injection Electrocution Lethal gas Hanging Firing squad

U.S. total 1,490 1,313 160 11 3 3

Federal 3 3 0 0 0 0

Alabama 63 39 24 0 0 0

Arizona 37 35 0 2 0 0

Arkansas 31 30 1 0 0 0

California 13 11 0 2 0 0

Colorado 1 1 0 0 0 0

Connecticut 1 1 0 0 0 0

Delaware 16 15 0 0 1 0

Florida 97 53 44 0 0 0

Georgia 72 49 23 0 0 0

Idaho 3 3 0 0 0 0

Illinois 12 12 0 0 0 0

Indiana 20 17 3 0 0 0

Kentucky 3 2 1 0 0 0

Louisiana 28 8 20 0 0 0

Maryland 5 5 0 0 0 0

Mississippi 21 17 0 4 0 0

Missouri 88 88 0 0 0 0

Montana 3 3 0 0 0 0

Nebraska 4 1 3 0 0 0

Nevada 12 11 0 1 0 0

New Mexico 1 1 0 0 0 0

North Carolina 43 41 0 2 0 0

Ohio 56 56 0 0 0 0

Oklahoma 112 112 0 0 0 0

Oregon 2 2 0 0 0 0

Pennsylvania 3 3 0 0 0 0

South Carolina 43 36 7 0 0 0

South Dakota 4 4 0 0 0 0

Tennessee 9 6 3 0 0 0

Texas 558 558 0 0 0 0

Utah 7 4 0 0 0 3

Virginia 113 82 31 0 0 0

Washington 5 3 0 0 2 0

Wyoming 1 1 0 0 0 0

Note: In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated capital-punishment statutes in several states (Furman v. Georgia,

408 U.S. 238 (1972)), eecting a moratorium on executions. Executions resumed in 1977 when the court found

that revisions to statutes in several states had eectively addressed the matters previously held unconstitutional

(Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153 (1976) and its companion cases).

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1977-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 19

TABLE 14

Cumulative number of executions at year-end 2018,

by jurisdiction, since 1930 and since 1977

Jurisdiction Since 1930 Since 1977

U.S. total 5,349 1,490

Texas 855 558

Georgia 438 72

New York 329 0

North Carolina 306 43

California 305 13

Florida 267 97

Ohio 228 56

Virginia 205 113

South Carolina 205 43

Alabama 198 63

Mississippi 175 21

Oklahoma 172 112

Louisiana 161 28

Pennsylvania 155 3

Missouri 150 88

Arkansas 149 31

Kentucky 106 3

Illinois 102 12

Tennessee 102 9

Arizona 75 37

New Jersey 74 0

Maryland 73 5

Indiana 61 20

Washington 52 5

Colorado 48 1

Nevada 41 12

District of Columbia 40 0

West Virginia 40 0

Federal system 36 3

Delaware 28 16

Massachusetts 27 0

Connecticut 22 1

Oregon 21 2

Utah 20 7

Iowa 18 0

Kansas 15 0

Montana 9 3

New Mexico 9 1

Nebraska 8 4

Wyoming 8 1

Idaho 6 3

South Dakota 5 4

Vermont 4 0

New Hampshire 1 0

Note: Excludes 160 executions carried out by military authorities

between 1930 and 1961. The federal government has collected data on

executions under civil authority annually since 1930.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program

(NPS-8), 1930-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 20

APPENDIX TABLE 1

Demographic characteristics for prisoners under sentence of death 2018 ,

Demographic characteristic Total year-end Admissions Removals

Total 2,628 38 113

Sex

Male 2,575 38 113

Female 53 0 0

Race

White 1,469 28 67

Black 1,094 9 44

Other 65 1 2

Ethnicity

Hispanic 359 9 15

Non-Hispanic 2,031 29 91

Unknown 238 0 7

Age

18-19 0 0 0

20-24 6 1 0

25-29 49 6 1

30-34 130 8 7

35-39 248 7 11

40-44 370 5 10

45-49 473 3 20

50-54 415 3 14

55-59 410 3 16

60-64 258 2 14

65 or older 269 0 20

Education

8th grade or less 247 0 13

9th-11th grade 723 7 29

High-school graduate/GED 923 9 37

Any college 194 2 9

Unknown 541 20 25

Marital status

Married 482 6 15

Divorced/separated 441 4 26

Widowed 82 2 5

Never married 1,255 11 46

Unknown 368 15 21

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 21

APPENDIX TABLE 2

Number of prisoners under sentence of death, 1953-2018

Year Prisoners Year Prisoners

1953 131

1986 1,800

1954 147

1987 1,967

1955 125

1988 2,117

1956 146

1989 2,243

1957 151

1990 2,346

1958 147

1991 2,465

1959 164

1992 2,580

1960 212

1993 2,727

1961 257

1994 2,905

1962 267

1995 3,064

1963 297

1996 3,242

1964 315

1997 3,328

1965 331

1998 3,465

1966 406

1999 3,540

1967 435

2000 3,601

1968 517

2001 3,577

1969 575

2002 3,562

1970 631

2003 3,377

1971 642

2004 3,320

1972 334

2005 3,245

1973 134

2006 3,233

1974 244

2007 3,215

1975 488

2008 3,210

1976 420

2009 3,173

1977 423

2010 3,139

1978 482

2011 3,065

1979 593

2012 3,011

1980 692

2013 2,983

1981 860

2014 2,942

1982 1,066

2015 2,872

1983 1,209

2016 2,797

1984 1,420

2017 2,703

1985 1,575

2018 2,628

Note: Data on the number of prisoners under sentence of death at year-end have been collected since 1953.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1953-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 22

1975

1980

1985

1990

1995

APPENDIX TABLE 3

Admissions to and removals from a sentence of death 1973-2018 ,

Year Admissions Removals Year Admissions Removals

1973 44 240 1996 323 155

1974 161 55 1997 282 187

318 67 1998 312 175

1976 249 317 1999 287 220

1977 159 156 2000 235 173

1978 211 150 2001 164 194

1979 172 61 2002 172 191

202 101 2003 157 348

1981 249 84 2004 139 197

1982 287 79 2005 143 216

1983 266 123 2006 126 145

1984 306 90 2007 129 140

292 130 2008 122 138

1986 319 109 2009 118 166

1987 311 142 2010 116 143

1988 317 165 2011 84 155

1989 275 149 2012 85 124

270 152 2013 85 118

1991 284 159 2014 70 116

1992 300 173 2015 54 122

1993 299 162 2016 33 99

1994 330 153 2017 37 132

325 171 2018 38 113

Note: Removals can be due to any cause, including execution, other death, or appeal.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1973-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 23

APPENDIX TABLE 4

Number of prisoners executed under civil authority in the United States, 1930-2018

Year Executions Year Executions

1930 155 1975 0

1931 153 1976 0

1932 140 1977 1

1933 160 1978 0

1934 168 1979 2

1935 199 1980 0

1936 195 1981 1

1937 147 1982 2

1938 190 1983 5

1939 160 1984 21

1940 124 1985 18

1941 123 1986 18

1942 147 1987 25

1943 131 1988 11

1944 120 1989 16

1945 117 1990 23

1946 131 1991 14

1947 153 1992 31

1948 119 1993 38

1949 119 1994 31

1950 82 1995 56

1951 105 1996 45

1952 83 1997 74

1953 62 1998 68

1954 81 1999 98

1955 76 2000 85

1956 65 2001 66

1957 65 2002 71

1958 49 2003 65

1959 49 2004 59

1960 56 2005 60

1961 42 2006 53

1962 47 2007 42

1963 21 2008 37

1964 15 2009 52

1965 7 2010 46

1966 1 2011 43

1967 2 2012 43

1968 0 2013 39

1969 0 2014 35

1970 0 2015 28

1971 0 2016 20

1972 0 2017 23

1973 0 2018 25

1974 0

Note: Excludes 160 executions carried out by military authorities from 1930 to 1961.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1930-2018.

Capital Punishment, 2018 – Statistical Tables | September 2020 24

APPENDIX TABLE 5

Number of prisoners under sentence of death, by race, 1968-2018

Year White

Black

Other races

Year White

Black

Other races

1968 243 271 3 1994 1,653 1,203 49

1969 263 310 2 1995 1,732 1,284 48

1970 293 335 3 1996 1,833 1,358 51

1971 306 332 4 1997 1,864 1,408 56

1972 167 166 1 1998 1,917 1,489 59

1973 64 68 2 1999 1,960 1,515 65

1974 110 128 6 2000 1,989 1,541 71

1975 218 262 8 2001 1,968 1,538 71

1976 225 195 - 2002 1,939 1,551 72

1977 229 192 2 2003 1,882 1,417 78

1978 281 197 4 2004 1,856 1,390 74

1979 354 236 3 2005 1,802 1,366 77

1980 424 264 4 2006 1,806 1,353 74

1981 499 353 8 2007 1,806 1,338 71

1982 613 441 12 2008 1,795 1,343 72

1983 692 505 12 2009 1,779 1,318 76

1984 806 598 16 2010 1,743 1,309 87

1985 896 664 15 2011 1,721 1,274 70

1986 1,013 762 25 2012 1,684 1,258 69

1987 1,128 813 26 2013 1,670 1,251 62

1988 1,235 848 34 2014 1,647 1,233 62

1989 1,308 898 37 2015 1,606 1,202 64

1990 1,368 940 38 2016 1,553 1,179 65

1991 1,449 979 37 2017 1,508 1,129 66

1992 1,511 1,031 38 2018 1,469 1,094 65

1993 1,575 1,111 41

Includes persons of Hispanic origin.

Includes Asians, Native Hawaiians, Other Pacic Islanders, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and persons for

whom only ethnicity was identied.

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Prisoner Statistics program (NPS-8), 1968-2018.

e Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the

principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal

victimization, criminal oenders, victims of crime, correlates of

crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at

the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and

disseminates reliable statistics on crime and justice systems in the

United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal

justice information systems, and participates with national and

international organizations to develop and recommend national

standards for justice statistics. Jerey H. Anderson is the director.

is report was written by Tracy L. Snell. Todd Minton, Stephanie

Mueller, and E. Ann Carson veried the report.

David Fialko and Edrienne Su edited the report. Carrie Epps-Carey

produced the report.

September 2020, NCJ 254786

Oce of Justice Programs

Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice