106: The number of death sentences projected to be handed down by judges and juries in 2009, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. That number is the lowest since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. Death sentences reached a high of 328 in 1994. Over the last decade, the number has fallen by 63 percent. The drop was most striking in Texas, which averaged 34 death sentences a year in the 1990s and had 9 this year. Vic Wisner, a former assistant district attorney in Houston, said a “constant media drumbeat” about suspect convictions and exonerations “has really changed the attitude of jurors.” Still, executions continued apace. Fifty-two inmates were executed this year, compared with 37 in 2008. More than 3,200 inmates remain on death row (NYT).
NYT’s Prime Number
Previous post: Ronnie Earle Files for Lite Guv
Next post: UT Regents Determine Lab’s Fate
