Death Sentencing Rate By State, 1977-1999

Posted: March 03, 2004
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DEATH SENTENCING RATE BY STATE (per murder)
The Death Sentencing Rate is the ratio of death sentences in a state between 1977 and 1999, and the number of murders in that state during approximately the same period.
State
 Death
Sentence
Rate		 Number of
Death Sentences,
1977-99		 Murders With
Known Offenders,
1976-98
Nevada
 		0.060
 124
 2,072
Oklahoma
 		0.051
 257
 5,020
Delaware
 		0.048
 30
 626
Idaho
 		0.047
 36
 773
Arizona
 		0.043
 213
 5,007
Alabama
 		0.038
 311
 8,190
Mississippi
 		0.035
 144
 4,122
Florida
 		0.034
 735
 21,837
Ohio
 		0.028
 285
 10,142
North Carolina
 		0.026
 327
 12,463
Pennsylvania
 		0.024
 316
 13,095
Missouri
 		0.024
 158
 6,679
Nebraska
 		0.023
 19
 831
Georgia
 		0.022
 243
 10,912
Oregon
 		0.022
 46
 2,132
National Average
 0.022
Texas
 		0.020
 776
 37,879
Tennessee
 		0.020
 156
 7,690
Arkansas
 		0.020
 90
 4,523
Illinois
 		0.019
 274
 14,710
Utah
 		0.018
 19
 1,080
South Carolina
 		0.016
 138
 8,451
Indiana
 		0.016
 84
 5,289
Louisiana
 		0.016
 158
 10,146
Kentucky
 		0.014
 68
 4,863
California
 		0.013
 652
 49,943
Virginia
 		0.013
 119
 9,235
New Jersey
 		0.010
 48
 4,710
Washington
 		0.009
 34
 3,628
New Mexico
 		0.008
 12
 1,480
Maryland
 		0.007
 47
 6,606
Colorado
 		0.004
 13
 3,256


NOTE: Data are for the 31 states with more than 10 death row enrollees from 1977 through 1999. Death row data are based on the Bureau of Justice Statistics capital punishment data. Murder data are based on the FBI's Supplemental Homicide Reports for 1976–1998, except for a later starting year for three states, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Oregon, in which post-Furman death penalties became effective after 1977. The death sentence rate is the number of death sentences divided by the number of murders with a known offender.

SOURCE: John Blume, Theodore Eisenberg, and Martin T. Wells, "Explaining Death Row's Population and Racial Composition," Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, Volume 1, Issue 1, 165-207, March 2004

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