According to the latest edition of Death Row U.S.A. published by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), the size of death row decreased slightly as of July 1, 2008 compared to Jan. 1. After increasing steadily for about 25 years, the death row population started decreasing in 2000. The current total of defendants on state and federal death rows is 3,307, of whom 45% are white, 41.6% are black, and 11% are Latino/Latina. Over 98% of those on death row are male. The states with the largest death rows are California (662), Florida (399), Texas (367), and Pennsylvania (226). Among states with at least 10 people on death row, Texas, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania have the highest percentage of minorities among those on death row—70%, 70%, and 69% respectively. The full report can be read here.
(NCAAP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, “Death Row USA: Summer 2008”, July 1, 2008). See DPIC’s Death Row page.
