Women
Women's Death Sentences Since 1973: Number and Geography
DEATH SENTENCES IMPOSED UPON FEMALE OFFENDERS, 1973–2022
Between 1973 and December 2022, 186 death sentences were imposed upon female offenders. These sentences constitute about 2% of all death sentences.
| Year | Total Death Sentences* | Women Sentenced to Death | Portion of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 42 | 1 | 2.4% |
| 1974 | 149 | 1 | 0.7% |
| 1975 | 298 | 8 | 2.3% |
| 1976 | 233 | 3 | 1.3% |
| 1977 | 137 | 1 | 0.7% |
| 1978 | 185 | 4 | 2.1% |
| 1979 | 151 | 4 | 2.6% |
| 1980 | 173 | 2 | 1.1% |
| 1981 | 224 | 3 | 1.3% |
| 1982 | 265 | 5 | 1.8% |
| 1983 | 252 | 4 | 1.6% |
| 1984 | 285 | 8 | 2.8% |
| 1985 | 266 | 5 | 1.8% |
| 1986 | 300 | 3 | 1.0% |
| 1987 | 289 | 5 | 1.7% |
| 1988 | 290 | 5 | 1.7% |
| 1989 | 259 | 11 | 4.2% |
| 1990 | 252 | 7 | 2.7% |
| 1991 | 267 | 6 | 2.2% |
| 1992 | 287 | 10 | 3.5% |
| 1993 | 289 | 6 | 2.0% |
| 1994 | 315 | 5 | 1.6% |
| 1995 | 318 | 7 | 2.2% |
| 1996 | 320 | 2 | 0.6% |
| 1997 | 276 | 2 | 0.7% |
| 1998 | 300 | 7 | 2.3% |
| 1999 | 279 | 5 | 1.8% |
| 2000 | 231 | 7 | 3.1% |
| 2001 | 163 | 2 | 1.3% |
| 2002 | 159 | 5 | 3.2% |
| 2003 | 144 | 2 | 1.4% |
| 2004 | 125 | 5 | 4.0% |
| 2005 | 128 | 5 | 3.9% |
| 2006 | 115 | 4 | 3.5% |
| 2007 | 115 | 1 | 1.8% |
| 2008 | 111 | 3 | 2.7% |
| 2009 | 106 | 2 | 1.9% |
| 2010 | 112 | 2 | 1.8% |
| 2011 | 76 | 5 | 6.6% |
| 2012 | 78 | 3 | 3.8% |
| 2013 | 80 | 0 | 0% |
| 2014 | 73 | 0 | 0% |
| 2015 | 49 | 3 | 6.1% |
| 2016 | 30 | 0 | 0% |
| 2017 | 39 | 3 | 7.7% |
| 2018 | 43 | 0 | 0% |
| 2019 | 34 | 1 | 2.9% |
| 2020 | 18 | 0 | 0% |
| 2021 | 18 | 0 | 0% |
| 2022 | 20 | 1 | 5.0% |
| Totals: | 8,768 | 186 | 2.1% |
As of 12/31/2022. Data through 12/31/12 taken from “Death Penalty For Female Offenders, January 1973 through December 31, 2012” by Victor L. Streib, Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University College of Law. (Please see the full text of the report for more details.) Updates and periodic annotations by DPIC.
STATE BREAKDOWN OF DEATH SENTENCES FOR FEMALES 1973–2022
The 186 death sentences for female offenders were imposed in 26 states and by the federal government, comprising two-thirds of the 39 death penalty jurisdictions during this time period. Five states (California, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Alabama) accounted for more than half of all such sentences.
| Rank | Sentencing State | Race of Offender | Total Number of Women Sentenced to Death |
|||
| White | Black | Latina | Native Amer. / Asian | |||
| 1 | California | 12 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
| 2 | Florida | 13 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
2t |
Texas | 13 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 5 | Alabama | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 6 | Ohio | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 7 | Mississippi | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 9 | Georgia | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 9t | Illinois | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 9t | Pennsylvania | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 12 | Missouri | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 12t | Arizona | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | Indiana | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 15t | Louisiana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 15t | Maryland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 15t | New Jersey | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 19 | Arkansas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19t | Idaho | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19t | Nevada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19t | Tennessee | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 19t | Federal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 24 | Delaware | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24t | Oregon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24t | South Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 24t | Virginia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 | Totals | 118 | 47 | 14 | 7 | 186 |
Taken from “Death Penalty For Female Offenders, January 1973 through December 31, 2012 [PDF]” by Victor L. Streib, Professor of Law at Ohio Northern University College of Law, with periodic annotations by DPIC (Please see the full-text of the report for more details.)