Characteristics of Prisoners Under Sentence of Death

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff
Characteristic 1980 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2003 2004 2008
Race and age
White 418 1,368 1,732 1,833 1,864 1,917 1,948 1,998 1,882 1,850 1,798
Black and other 270 978 1,332 1,409 1,464 1,548 1,579 1,612 1,495 1,464 1,338
Under 20 years 11 8 20 17 16 16 16 11 1 1 0
20 to 24 years 173 168 264 288 275 273 251 237 133 95 44
25 to 34 years 334 1,110 1,068 1,088 1,077 1,108 1,108 1,103 965 896 610
35 to 54 years 186 1,006 1,583 1.711 1.809 1,897 1,958 2,019 1,969 1,977 2,076
55 years and over 10 64 19 138 151 171 194 223 306 345 477
Years of schooling completed
7 years or less 68 178 191 196 205 208 201 214 213 207 n.a.
8 years 74 186 195 201 206 218 221 233 227 221 432
9 to 11 years 204 775 979 1,040 1,069 1,122 1,142 1,157 1,073 1,053 1,170
12 years 162 729 995 1,037 1,084 1,128 1,157 1,184 1,108 1,091 1,308
More than 12 years 43 209 272 282 288 301 307 315 270 262 295
Unknown 163 279 422 486 476 488 499 490 483 480 528
Marital status
Never married 268 998 1,412 1,507 1,555 1,645 1,689 1,749 1,641 1,622 1,754
Married 229 632 718 739 740 752 731 739 684 658 711
Divorced1 217 726 924 996 1,033 1,068 1,107 1,105 1,049 1,034 644
Time elapsed since sentencing
Less than 12 months 185 231 287 306 262 293 259 208 137 117 n.a.
12 to 47 months 389 753 784 816 844 816 800 786 495 421 n.a.
48 to 71 months 102 438 423 447 456 482 499 507 451 388 n.a.
72 months and over 38 934 1,560 1,673 1,766 1,874 1,969 2,092 2,291 2,388 n.a.
Legal status at arrest
Not under sentence 384 1,345 1,764 1,881 1,957 2,036 2,088 2,202 2,048 2,026 1,949
Parole or probation2 115 578 866 894 880 879 886 921 845 809 830
Prison or escaped 45 128 110 112 116 127 125 126 137 145 163
Unknown 170 305 314 355 375 423 428 344 344 334 347
Total 688 2,346 3,064 3,242 3,328 3,465 3,527 3,601 3,377 3,314 3,289
NOTE: Excludes prisoners under sentence of death confined in local correctional systems pending appeal or who have not been committed to prison.
1. Includes persons married but separated, widows, widowers, and unknown.
2. Includes prisoners on mandatory conditional release, work release, leave, AWOL, or bail.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Capital Punishment, annual, from Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2007; Capital Punishment 2008.

Number of Persons Executed by Jurisdiction, 1930–2005 Incarceration and Capital Punishment Women on Death Row
Incarceration and Capital Punishment
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