Florida 3rd in Nation for Executions

During a time when the number of death penalty executions is slowing, Florida continues to rank at the top for carrying out this sentence.

The number of new death sentences across the country, along with the number of death penalty executions being carried out are both down, the Death Penalty Information Center reports.

That organization reports there were 315 new sentences in 1996, compared with 72 in 2014. This year, a total of 35 people have been put to death across the country versus 98 back in 1999.

Only a handful of states are responsible for the 35, with Florida among the top three with eight executions carried out. Texas and Missouri both witnessed 10 executions in 2014. Other states that carried out the death penalty in 2014 were Oklahoma, 3, Georgia, 2, and Arizona and Ohio, each with 1.

The information center released its 2014 year-end report on Thursday, chronicling a sharp decline in the death penalty trend nationally.

“In 2014, 35 people were executed, the fewest in 20 years,” the organization’s website states. “Death sentences dropped to their lowest level in the modern era of the death penalty, with 72 people sentenced to death, the smallest number in 40 years.”

See Also:

• Death Penalty Possible in Bradenton Triple Homicide
• Elisa Nelson Murder: Florida Court Paves Way for Execution

The declining numbers cast doubt on the viability of the death penalty in the modern era, the organization asserts.

“The relevancy of the death penalty in our criminal justice system is seriously in question when 43 out of our 50 states do not apply the ultimate sanction,” Richard Dieter, DPIC’s Executive Director and the author of the report, was quoted in a media release as saying. “The U.S. will likely continue with some executions in the years ahead, but the rationale for such sporadic use is far from clear.”

The organization also points out that seven people were exonerated in 2014, which is the highest number since 2009.

“Three men in Ohio were cleared of all charges 39 years after their convictions, the longest time of any death row exonerees,” the press release pointed out. “Two others in North Carolina were freed after 30 years in confinement. Since 1973, 150 people have been exonerated and freed from death row.”

To read the full 2014 report ,visit the Death Penalty Information Center online.

What are your thoughts on the death penalty? Share them by commenting below!

Image via Shutterstock