A Report on Capital Punishment at Mid-Year

John Lynn Bible was executed on June 30, 2011. His execution marked the 25th execution of 2011 at the years exact midpoint. There were 46 executions in 2010.

At first blush, it would appear that 2011 is ahead of the pace of 2010 in terms of executions. At this pace there will be 50 executions in 2011. However, at midyear 2010 there were 29 executions, the pace fell off the second half of 2011.

So far in the first half of 2011, Texas once again leads all states with six executions. Ohio and Alabama have each carried out four executions. Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Missouri and Oklahoma have at least one execution.

All of the killers executed are men and 18 of those killers carried out their killings with a firearm.

The biggest story in executions this year has been the use of a new execution drug pentobarbital and the transition, in some states, from a three drug protocol to a single drug protocol.

The next scheduled execution is that of Humberto Leal a foreign national. Leal's scheduled execution by the state of Texas on July 7 has become controversial. Leal a native of Mexico claims he was not given the right to consult with his government while his case was pending.