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The Death Penalty Is in Dramatic Decline in the U.S.

The Death Penalty Is in Dramatic Decline in the U.S.

The Death Penalty Information Center has released new findings that show capital punishment in America is on the decline. In 2014, 35 inmates were executed—that’s the lowest number in more than 20 years. Just for some context, in 1999, when executions were at their peak, 98 death-row inmates were executed. Courts also issued the fewest number of death sentences in nearly 40 years. Even though a majority of Americans still favor the death penalty, its approval rating is down to 59 percent from 70 percent in the ’90s. Along with controversies surrounding the drugs used in the lethal injections, the center’s executive director told NBC that part of the decline is because so many death row inmates were later been found innocent: “The realization that mistakes have been made, that innocent people are still being freed, has made juries hesitant” …

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