While many countries around the world have banned the death penalty, the same is not true for the United States, as evidenced by the 9 states with the most total executions in 2020.
The death penalty has been around for thousands of years. In fact, it was the go to punishment for dozens of crimes, including some which aren’t even crimes anymore. If you find that hard to believe, just think that a dozen years from now, people will marvel how you could get extremely harsh sentences for simple possession of marijuana, now that it’s being legalized across the world and in several states in the US as well.
The death penalty gained significant traction in the United States in the 17th century, increased in the 18th and 19th century, and just exploded exponentially in the 20th century. While the executions barely touched 4,000 by the end of the 19th century, they nearly reached 8,000 in the 20th century.
But then 1972 happened. While 5 years had already passed without any execution taking place, in 1972, the case of Furman v Georgia took place, where the US Supreme Court’s decision led to all death sentences at the time to be commuted to life imprisonment and led to the belief that the death penalty would no longer be applied in the US. Of course, that didn’t really last, and in 1976, 37 states enacted new statutes pertaining to the death penalty, and after some controversies, the first execution took place in 1977.
The death penalty has been extremely controversial in recent years, especially in the 21st century as many argue that it is against human rights. I have to agree with this belief especially considering how flawed the justice system is and the fact that so many people are wrongly convicted. A study determined that at least 4% of people on death row are innocent. That may not seem like a major variance, but when you’re talking about human lives, every single one counts.
Since 1976, when the death penalty was reinstated, 1,518 executions have taken place in 35 states. More than half, or 794 executions, have taken place in just 3 states. While the death penalty hasn’t been abolished, its usage has greatly decreased since the 1990s, with an 85% decline in death sentences and 75% decline in executions. In 2019, 22 executions took place, more information on which can be found in 7 states that allow death penalty and had executions in 2019. Till then, let’s take a look at the states with the most total executions, starting with number 9:
9. North Carolina
All of the 43 executions that have taken place in North Carolina have been for murder, of which 42 were male and just 1 was a female. All but 2 of the executions took place through legal injection, with those 2 executions taking place in a gas chamber.
8. Ohio
56 executions have taken place in Ohio, all through legal injection. One of the more infamous people executed in Ohio include Marvallous Keene who went on a killing spree, which resulted in 6 deaths, and were popularly known as the ‘Christmas Killings’.
7. Alabama
While Alabama has seen 67 people executed, the good news is that currently there are no further people scheduled to die under the death penalty. However, that is more than offset by the fact that there are currently 182 inmates on death row in Alabama and has the largest population of condemned inmates per capita in the entire country.
6. Georgia
Georgia was the state because of which the death penalty was deemed unconstitutional, but once the death penalty was reinstated, the state immediately went on the offensive, having 76 executions under its belt since. Currently, 41 people are still on death row in the state.
5. Missouri
90 people have been executed in Missouri, but only one of them is a woman. Bonnie Heady along with her boyfriend was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of a young boy. The couple were executed together.
4. Florida
Florida has executed 99 people since the reinstatement of the death penalty, earning it a place on the list of states with the most total executions. This is bad news for the current 83 people on death row in the state.
3. Oklahoma
The 1st state in this list to exceed 100 executions is Oklahoma, with 112 executions. However, there is a slight ray of hope in the fact that no executions have taken place in the state in almost the last 5 years. This is good news for a state with the highest per capita executions in the country.
2. Virginia
Virginia has just 1 more execution than Oklahoma at 113. Perhaps the most famous execution to take place in Virginia is of John Allen Muhammad, responsible for the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks resulting in the deaths of 10 people.
1. Texas
With more executions than the next 6 states combined, Texas easily tops the list of 9 states with the most total executions in 2020 by a wide margin. The last execution took place in February 2020. Executions in Texas have been quite controversial including allegations of carrying out the death sentences of innocent persons.
Source: insidermonkey.com, Staff, July 6, 2020
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"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde