Fewer prisoners were executed in 2014 in the United States than in any year for the last two decades. Thirty-five executions were performed throughout the country, according to an annual reporter from the Death Penalty Information Center.
However, Missouri bucked the trend of fewer executions, tying with Texas in leading the country in executions, closely followed by Florida. The Show Me State executed 10 prisoners this year, the most the state has ever executed in a single year.
Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said Missouri’s executions were related to old cases and that no execution sentences were actually given this year.
“These are cases that are being executed now that started 10 or 15 years ago. At that time Missouri was having 15 death sentences, so 10 executions are the result,” said Dieter. “The future for Missouri is much less executions.”
He said Missouri has averaged one or two death sentences per year for the past five years.
“Missouri does not have a death row like Texas, or California, or Florida. It’s considerably smaller. So I think this year was an unusual year for Missouri,” Dieter said.
Judges handed down fewer death sentences in the United States this year. Only 72 people were sentenced to death this year nationally, a 40-year low.
“The death penalty is something being seen more skeptically, given more scrutiny. It’s really slowing down here,” Dieter said.
According to the report, seven people who had been on death row were exonerated in 2014, the most since 2009.
“Forty-three out of our fifty states did not carry out an execution this year, so for most of the country it’s not a common phenomena,” said Dieter.
He added that in most places the death penalty is not being used and appears to be irrelevant.