www.npr.org Open in urlscan Pro
2600:141b:1c00:16::17c4:30e  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

Accessibility links
 * Skip to main content
 * Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

WNYCWeekend Edition Saturday
 * Hourly News
 * Listen Live
 * Playlist

 * Open Navigation Menu
 * 
 * WNYC
    * Listen LiveWNYC-FM 93.9
    * donate
    * Change
   
   Sign in or register to see your station everywhere you enjoy NPR.

 * Newsletters
 * Sign In
 * NPR Shop
 * Donate

Close Navigation Menu
 * Home
 * News Expand/collapse submenu for News
   * National
   * World
   * Politics
   * Business
   * Health
   * Science
   * Climate
   * Race
 * Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture
   * Books
   * Movies
   * Television
   * Pop Culture
   * Food
   * Art & Design
   * Performing Arts
   * Life Kit
   * Gaming
 * Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music
   * Hip-Hop 50
   * Tiny Desk
   * All Songs Considered
   * Music Features
   * Live Sessions
 * Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows
   Daily
    * Morning Edition
    * Weekend Edition Saturday
    * Weekend Edition Sunday
    * All Things Considered
    * Fresh Air
    * Up First
   
   Featured
    * TED Radio Hour
    * Louder Than A Riot
    * It's Been a Minute
    * Life Kit
   
    * More Podcasts & Shows

 * Search
 * Newsletters
 * Sign In
 * NPR Shop

 * 
 * Hip-Hop 50
 * Tiny Desk
 * All Songs Considered
 * Music Features
 * Live Sessions

 * About NPR
 * Diversity
 * Organization
 * NPR Network
 * Support
 * Careers
 * Connect
 * Press
 * Ethics

Florida and Texas carried out more than half of all executions in 2023
Twenty-four executions have been carried out in 2023 — five more than last year,
the Death Penalty Information Center says. Meanwhile, 50% of Americans say the
death penalty is applied unfairly.


LAW


EXECUTIONS ARE ON THE RISE IN THE U.S., EVEN AS PUBLIC SUPPORT WANES

December 1, 20235:01 AM ET

Vanessa Romo

Enlarge this image

Twenty-four people have been put to death so far in 2023, up from 18 in 2022 and
11 in 2021, according to a new report by the Death Penalty Information Center.
The center attributed the increase to Florida's return to executions after a
3-year pause. Pat Sullivan/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Pat Sullivan/AP


Twenty-four people have been put to death so far in 2023, up from 18 in 2022 and
11 in 2021, according to a new report by the Death Penalty Information Center.
The center attributed the increase to Florida's return to executions after a
3-year pause.

Pat Sullivan/AP

Phillip Hancock on Thursday became the fourth death row inmate executed in
Oklahoma this year. The state's parole board had voted 3-2 to recommend clemency
for Hancock, who was convicted for the 2001 murders of two men, but the governor
declined to intervene.

Nationally, executions climbed for the second year in a row in 2023, with Texas
and Florida accounting for more than half, according to a year-end-report by the
Death Penalty Information Center. The increase comes as public opinion continues
to turn against the death penalty.

Twenty-four people have been put to death so far in 2023, up from 18 in 2022 and
11 in 2021.

Sponsor Message



The center found that the increase can be attributed to Florida's return to
executions after a three-year pause "as [Gov. Ron DeSantis] launched a
presidential campaign." The state carried out six executions — Florida's highest
number since 2014 — and it imposed five new death sentences, the highest number
of any state this year.


NATIONAL


MORE THAN A THIRD OF EXECUTIONS IN 2022 WERE 'BOTCHED,' A REPORT FINDS

As NPR previously reported, following the Parkland shooter trial, DeSantis made
it easier for juries to impose the death penalty after signing a bill undoing a
unanimous vote requirement. Now, an 8-to-4 jury vote is sufficient to recommend
a death sentence. It is the lowest threshold in the county.

Meanwhile, Texas continued its streak as the nation's busiest capital punishment
state, conducting eight executions this year.

The remaining court-ordered deaths were limited to three states: Alabama, which
killed two inmates after three botched executions last year; Missouri carried
out four death warrants, including the first known execution of an openly
transgender woman, Amber McLaughlin; In Oklahoma, after a brief moratorium and
internal investigation into failed execution attempts the previous year, the
state carried out four of its 11 scheduled executions.


AMERICANS BELIEVE THE DEATH PENALTY IS UNEQUALLY APPLIED

But despite the uptick in state-sanctioned deaths, a majority of the public is
turning against executions.



For the first time since it began surveying Americans on the death penalty in
2000, a Gallup poll found that more people believe that the death penalty is
administered unfairly (50%) than fairly (47%). Support for the death penalty, at
53%, is the lowest since 1972, the poll showed.

"The data show that most Americans no longer believe the death penalty can be
imposed fairly," Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty
Information Center (DPIC), said in a statement.

The DPIC reports that given those shifting attitudes, as well as changes in the
law and prosecutorial decision-making, most of the prisoners who were executed
over the last 11 months "would likely not have been sentenced to death if tried
today."

Instead, the prisoners would likely receive life sentences because contemporary
juries are typically presented with comprehensive biographical and psychological
histories of the defendant, the DPIC argues. And it adds that defense attorneys
today make more compelling arguments for an alternative sentencing.


LAW


ALABAMA SETS JANUARY EXECUTION DATE USING NITROGEN GAS

The study found that jurors now hear much more evidence of a defendant's mental
illness, developmental impairments, and severe trauma during court proceedings,
and therefore, are more likely to consider their effects before imposing the
ultimate punishment.

According to data analyzed by the DPIC, 79% of the death row inmates executed in
2023 had some disability or impairment, including serious mental illness, brain
injury, developmental brain damage, or an IQ in the range considered
intellectually disabled; and/or chronic serious childhood trauma, neglect and/or
abuse.

The report adds: "One-third or eight of the people executed had all three. At
least three prisoners were under the age of 20 at the time of their crimes."

DPIC's Maher said the changing attitudes toward the death penalty also extend to
conservative lawmakers and elected officials who, in recent years, have
expressed "an unprecedented show of support for death-sentenced prisoners"
moving some to "oppose use of the death penalty in their state."

Enlarge this image

For the first time since it began surveying Americans on the death penalty, a
Gallup poll found that more people believe that the death penalty is
administered unfairly (50%) than fairly (47%). Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
hide caption

toggle caption
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


For the first time since it began surveying Americans on the death penalty, a
Gallup poll found that more people believe that the death penalty is
administered unfairly (50%) than fairly (47%).

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images


OKLAHOMA REPUBLICANS RALLY FOR A NEW TRIAL FOR RICHARD GLOSSIP

That is evident in Oklahoma, where Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond
and a bipartisan group of 62 Oklahoma lawmakers — 45 of whom are also
Republicans — are calling for the courts to vacate the conviction Richard
Glossip, who they say was unfairly tried.



In 1997, Justin Sneed, a handyman at an Oklahoma City motel killed his boss,
Barry Van Treese, with a baseball bat during a robbery attempt. Sneed was soon
captured and admitted to the murder. When the case went to trial, Sneed claimed
that Glossip promised to pay him $10,000 in a murder-for-hire plot.

Sneed's testimony was the only evidence implicating Glossip and it spared him
the death penalty. In the end, Sneed received a life sentence without parole and
is now serving time in a medium-security prison, while Glossip, who has
maintained his innocence, faces death.

Glossip's first conviction was overturned on appeal due to ineffective counsel.
In 2004, a second jury also found him guilty, issuing the death penalty.


INVESTIGATIONS


VIRGINIA HID EXECUTION FILES FROM THE PUBLIC. HERE'S WHAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO
SEE

But questions about Sneed's testimony and the absence of evidence against
Glossip have undermined the legitimacy of the death sentence, leading to four
stays and two independent investigations.

One of those revealed that the district attorney's office at the time had told
police to destroy a box of evidence before Glossip's second trial and that
crucial surveillance video information had also disappeared. Additionally, in
the intervening years, letters written by Sneed, in which he asks his
now-deceased attorney about recanting his testimony, have also surfaced,
throwing another wrench into the legitimacy of the court proceedings.

All of that has prompted the state attorney general to intercede on Glossip's
behalf.

"While the State has previously opposed relief for Glossip, it has changed its
position based on a careful review of the new information that has come to
light," Drummond wrote to the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in April.

The evidence has also moved Oklahoma state Rep. Kevin McDugle, a Republican, who
told NPR he believes Glossip is innocent and deserves a new trial. McDugle said
that after digging into the case and watching a documentary about Glossip, he
"saw zero evidence that this guy actually had anything to do with the murder."


INVESTIGATIONS


CARRYING OUT EXECUTIONS TOOK A SECRET TOLL ON WORKERS — THEN CHANGED THEIR
POLITICS

He added: "I am good with the death penalty as long as we have a pure process
all the way through, and we can say for sure, for certain, that we're executing
guilty people. But if we have any ability for someone to get through there and
be an innocent person, then I will fight against the death penalty here."

The DPIC's latest report notes that cases like these, combined with instances in
which death row inmates are exonerated after decades of maintaining their
innocence, raise new concerns about the fairness and accuracy of the death
penalty itself.



Another factor moving some lawmakers to enact moratoriums or pauses on
executions is the continued difficulties states face in obtaining lethal
injection drugs. As of now, 29 states have either abolished the death penalty or
paused executions by executive action. Some who wish to forge ahead with
scheduled death warrants have explored untested methods of executions.

 * lethal injection
 * executions
 * death penalty
 * capital punishment

 * Facebook
 * Flipboard
 * Email






MORE STORIES FROM NPR

TECHNOLOGY

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS MONTANA'S TIKTOK BAN BEFORE IT TAKES EFFECT

LAW

SUPREME COURT CONSERVATIVES SEEM LIKELY TO AXE SEC ENFORCEMENT POWERS

NATIONAL

IT'S PEAK SHOPPING — AND SHOPLIFTING — SEASON. COPS ARE STEPPING UP ANTITHEFT
TACTICS

LAW

POLICE PUSHBACK AGAINST PROGRESSIVE PROSECUTORS

TELEVISION

'SQUID GAME: THE CHALLENGE' PLAYERS SAY THEY SUFFERED INJURIES WHILE FILMING

WORLD

OSCAR PISTORIUS, PARALYMPIAN CONVICTED OF MURDER, TO BE RELEASED ON PAROLE


POPULAR ON NPR.ORG

ENVIRONMENT

THE ICEBERG COMETH: IT'S THE SIZE OF OAHU, AND IT'S MOVING INTO THE OPEN OCEAN

ELECTIONS

DESANTIS-NEWSOM 'DEBATE' OFFERS WINDOW INTO THE FUTURE OF WARRING VISIONS OF
AMERICA

POLITICS

NEW YORK REPUBLICAN GEORGE SANTOS EXPELLED FROM CONGRESS

HEALTH

VETERINARIANS SAY FEARS ABOUT 'MYSTERY' DOG ILLNESS MAY BE OVERBLOWN. HERE'S WHY

MIDDLE EAST

ISRAEL RESUMES AIRSTRIKES AFTER IT SAYS HAMAS VIOLATED TRUCE

NATIONAL

MILLIONS OF SENIORS STRUGGLE TO AFFORD HOUSING — AND IT'S ABOUT TO GET A LOT
WORSE


NPR EDITORS' PICKS

POLITICS

LIZ CHENEY IS BACK AND UNLOADING ON THE CURRENT LEADERS OF HER ANCESTRAL GOP

MIDDLE EAST

IN GAZA, RENEWED FIGHTING DIMS HOPES OF A LONGER-TERM PAUSE FOR HUMANITARIAN AID

MUSIC

BEFORE 'GUTS,' OLIVIA RODRIGO FIRST HAD TO WRITE A LOT OF 'BAD SONGS'

POP CULTURE

WHAT'S MAKING US HAPPY: A GUIDE TO YOUR WEEKEND VIEWING AND READING

WORLD

AT ISRAELI RAVE SITE ATTACKED BY HAMAS, DJS PLAY MUSIC TO HONOR THE DEAD AND
MISSING

MUSIC

AT 95, JAZZ ICON SHEILA JORDAN STILL EATS, DRINKS AND BREATHES THE MUSIC



READ & LISTEN

 * Home
 * News
 * Culture
 * Music
 * Podcasts & Shows

CONNECT

 * Newsletters
 * Facebook
 * Instagram
 * Press
 * Public Editor
 * Corrections
 * Contact & Help

ABOUT NPR

 * Overview
 * Diversity
 * NPR Network
 * Accessibility
 * Ethics
 * Finances

GET INVOLVED

 * Support Public Radio
 * Sponsor NPR
 * NPR Careers
 * NPR Shop
 * NPR Events
 * NPR Extra

 * Terms of Use
 * Privacy
 * Your Privacy Choices
 * Text Only
 * © 2023 npr




Sponsor Message

Become an NPR sponsor




COOKIE SETTINGS

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect
information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or
your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to
provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow
certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the
services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find
out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You may
opt out of the sharing of your information with our sponsorship vendors for
delivery of personalized sponsorship credits and marketing messages on our
website or third-party sites by turning off "Share Data for Targeted
Sponsorship" below. If you opt out, our service providers or vendors may
continue to serve you non-personalized, non-"interest-based" sponsorship credits
and marketing messages on our website or third-party sites, and those
sponsorship credits and marketing message may come with cookies that are used to
control how often you encounter those credits and messages, to prevent fraud,
and to do aggregate reporting. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly
Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning
of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your
settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For
more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this
link.
Allow All


MANAGE CONSENT PREFERENCES

STRICTLY NECESSARY OR ESSENTIAL COOKIES

Always Active

These cookies are essential to provide you with services available through the
NPR Services and to enable you to use some of their features. For example, these
cookies allow NPR to remember your registration information while you are logged
in. Local station customization, the NPR Shop, and other interactive features
also use cookies. Without these cookies, the services that you have asked for
cannot be provided, and we only use these cookies to provide you with those
services.

SHARE DATA FOR TARGETED SPONSORSHIP

Share Data for Targeted Sponsorship

You may opt out of the sharing of your information with our sponsorship vendors
for delivery of personalized sponsorship credits and marketing messages on our
website or third-party sites by turning off "Share Data for Targeted
Sponsorship." If you opt out, our service providers or vendors may continue to
serve you non-personalized, non-"interest-based" sponsorship credits and
marketing messages on our website or third-party sites, and those sponsorship
credits and marketing message may come with cookies that are used to control how
often you encounter those credits and messages, to prevent fraud, and to do
aggregate reporting.

 * PERFORMANCE AND ANALYTICS COOKIES
   
   Switch Label
   
   These cookies are used to collect information about traffic to our Services
   and how users interact with the NPR Services. The information collected
   includes the number of visitors to the NPR Services, the websites that
   referred visitors to the NPR Services, the pages that they visited on the NPR
   Services, what time of day they visited the NPR Services, whether they have
   visited the NPR Services before, and other similar information. We use this
   information to help operate the NPR Services more efficiently, to gather
   broad demographic information and to monitor the level of activity on the NPR
   Services.

 * FUNCTIONAL COOKIES
   
   Switch Label
   
   These cookies allow our Services to remember choices you make when you use
   them, such as remembering your Member station preferences and remembering
   your account details. The purpose of these cookies is to provide you with a
   more personal experience and to prevent you from having to re-enter your
   preferences every time you visit the NPR Services.

 * TARGETING AND SPONSOR COOKIES
   
   Switch Label
   
   These cookies track your browsing habits or other information, such as
   location, to enable us to show sponsorship credits which are more likely to
   be of interest to you. These cookies use information about your browsing
   history to group you with other users who have similar interests. Based on
   that information, and with our permission, we and our sponsors can place
   cookies to enable us or our sponsors to show sponsorship credits and other
   messages that we think will be relevant to your interests while you are using
   third-party services.

Back Button


COOKIE LIST



Search Icon
Filter Icon

Clear
checkbox label label
Apply Cancel
Consent Leg.Interest
checkbox label label
checkbox label label
checkbox label label

Confirm My Choices