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How many innocent people have been executed on death row in the US?
In this article, you’ll learn about:
Let’s dig in.
The death penalty raises concerns about executing innocent people.
Since 1976, the U.S. has conducted over 1,500 executions.
A small percentage of death row inmates might be innocent.
This estimate suggests that about 63 innocent people may have been executed.
This troubling number underlines:
1,532 people have been executed in the US since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Knowing how many people have been wrongly executed is tough due to:
Since 1973, at least 186 people in the US have been exonerated from death row.
This indicates that innocent people have been executed.
But how many innocent people have been executed remains uncertain.
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Determining the exact number of innocent people executed in the US is challenging.
Wrongful convictions for being sentenced to death can occur for several reasons.
The reasons innocent people have been executed include:
Researchers and advocacy groups have made estimates, but the true number is still unknown.
The Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) is a non-profit organization.
It examines capital punishment issues in the US.
As of September 2021, it documented 185 death row exonerations since 1973.
These cases involve innocent people getting released from death row.
They were released due to evidence of innocence or significant doubt about guilt.
This does not include those who were executed.
A 2014 study estimated 4.1% of death row inmates in the US were wrongfully convicted.
(That study on innocent death row victims was from the National Academy of Sciences.)
Read More: How Many People Are Murdered In The US Every Day?
Some of the death row inmates who were exonerated after death execution are:
But there were also death row inmates found innocent after execution.
These next set of death row inmates were not exonerated, though.
There was strong evidence that pointed to being proven innocent after the death penalty.
Some of the death row inmates found innocent after execution are:
Proving innocence after death is very difficult for innocent death row inmates that were executed.
Often, debates about an executed person’s guilt or innocence continue without resolution.
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Here are a few famous death penalty cases in the United States:
Read More: How Many Murders Go Unsolved
A governor-imposed moratorium on the death penalty is a temporary halt of executions ordered by a state’s governor.
This suspension usually aims to:
During the moratorium, no executions occur.
But the death penalty remains legal in the state.
The governor or their successor can lift the moratorium, or legislative changes may override it.
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Here are the crimes that are punishable by death:
Here are other questions we found about how many innocent people have been executed.
99 people currently on death row are innocent.
There are 2,414 death row inmates in the US right now.
Death row statistics show that ~4.1% of people are innocent on death row.
That means that 99 people currently on death row are innocent.
Since 1973, at least 186 death row inmates in the United States have been exonerated.
Meaning they were proven innocent after being sentenced to death.
Or had their convictions overturned due to evidence of wrongful convictions.
The most common crimes committed by death row inmates are murder and aggravated murder.
Death row crimes often involve additional factors such as:
These crimes are classified as capital offenses.
And they make the perpetrators eligible for the death penalty.
People support the death penalty for various reasons.
Some believe it serves as a deterrent, discouraging potential criminals from committing heinous crimes.
Others argue it delivers justice for victims and their families by ensuring the most severe punishment for the worst offenders.
Additionally, proponents may view the death penalty as a way to maintain public safety by permanently removing dangerous individuals from society.
~1,532 people have been executed in the US since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
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