Below are reports released by the Death Penalty Information Center since its inception, covering subjects such as race, innocence, politicization, costs of the death penalty, and more. When opening a report, please allow the report page to load fully before selecting links to sections or footnotes. Most of these reports are also available in printed form from DPIC. For a copy of one of these reports, e-mail DPIC. For bulk orders, please download our Resource Order Form.
Reports are separated into Year End Reports, In-Depth Reports, and Special Reports. In-Depth Reports are DPIC's signature long, thorough reports on major death-penalty issues. These include "The 2% Death Penalty," examining geographic arbitrariness in capital punishment, and "Behind the Curtain," covering secrecy in the death penalty system. Special Reports are shorter, and typically address a specific event or question. These include DPIC's explanation of the 2017 spate of executions that were scheduled in Arkansas, and our analysis of the largest number of executions performed on a single day.
DPIC Year-End Reports
Dec 15, 2004
Whether examining death sentences, executions, the size of death row or public support, capital punishment numbers have dropped in a way not seen in over 30 years. In Texas, Houston‘s Police Chief, Harold Hurtt, called for a moratorium on executions on cases from his county, where the police crime lab has been declared unreliable: “I think it…
DPIC In-Depth Reports
Sep 01, 2004
This report catalogs the emergence of innocence as the most important issue in the long-simmering death penalty debate. The steady evolution of this issue since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976 has been accelerated in recent years by the development of DNA technology, the new gold standard of forensic investigation. This evidence has…
DPIC Year-End Reports
Dec 18, 2003
The death penalty continued its recent attrition in 2003, with executions, death sentences, and the death row population all lower than a few years ago. Public support for the death penalty dropped to its lowest level in 25 years. Executions are down 34% when compared to 98 executions in 1999.DEATH ROW: The size of death row is smaller than it was…
DPIC Year-End Reports
Dec 17, 2002
As in almost every year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976, the South led the U.S. Texas carried out 33 executions this year, nearly half of the country’s total executions (71) and nearly 5 times as many as Oklahoma, the next leading state with 7. since the death penalty was reinstated, 13 (62%) have been in Texas.
DPIC Year-End Reports
Dec 12, 2001
Throughout 2001, growing concerns about capital punishment were reflected in a series of legislative changes to restrict the death penalty, and executions declined sharply for the second straight year. For the first time since the death penalty was reinstated, the number of people on death row also appears to be decreasing. A drop in the number of…
