Two percent of counties responsible for majority of executions

Only two percent of the counties in the United States have been responsible for the majority of cases leading to executions since 1976, according to a report by the Death Penalty Information Center(DPIC). Likewise, only two percent of the counties are responsible for the majority of today’s death row population and recent death sentences.

To put it another way, all of the state executions since the death penalty was reinstated stem from cases in just 15 percent of the counties in the United States. All of the 3,125 inmates on death row as of January 1, 2013 came from just 20 percent of the counties.

The word county is used in 48 of the 50 states. Louisiana uses the term parish and Alaska uses borough. Including those, there are 3,077 counties in the United States. However, only 32 of the 50 states have the death penalty.  There are 2,444 counties in death penalty states.

Bases on the DPIC report only 49 counties account for a majority, more than half, of all executions.  The report also suggests that all 1,348 executions in the modern era of the death penalty have come from 15 percent of counties nationwide which would be 461 counties.

To read the full report How a Minority of Counties Produce Most Death Cases at Enormous Costs to All Click Here