DPIC Releases Update to Death Row Census

The Death Penalty Information Center has updated its Death Penalty Census, a database of every death sentence imposed since 1972. The database now contains information accurate as of January 1, 2022, inclusive of the 50^th year of the modern death penalty. The Census contains information on 9,820 death sentences imposed on 8,842 defendants. It includes the name, race, and gender of each defendant, along with the region, state, county, and year in which the sentence was imposed.

When it was launched in 2022, the Census included available data through January 1, 2021. With the addition of one year of data, it now includes all death sentences imposed through January 1, 2022, as well as the outcome of death sentences and current case statuses as of that date. The update added 21 new death sentences imposed in 2021, three exonerations that took place that year, and numerous updates regarding sentence reversals, deaths on death row, resentences, and other changes to the status of cases.

In addition to the new data, DPIC has also created a short video tutorial on using the Census. DPIC welcomes corrections and additions to the database at DeathPenaltyCensus@deathpenaltyinfo.org