The percentage of federal death penalty cases resulting in death sentences has declined from the 1990s to the present. Since 1991, juries chose a death sentence in 51 cases compared with 93 cases that ended with a sentence of life in prison, according to Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel, a rate of 35% for death sentences. Since 2000, juries have returned 29 death sentences and 69 life sentences, a rate of 30%.
(Washington Post, April 25, 2006).
Citation Guide
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). Juries Choosing Death Penalty Less Often in Federal Cases. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/juries-choosing-death-penalty-less-often-in-federal-cases
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Juries Choosing Death Penalty Less Often in Federal Cases.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/juries-choosing-death-penalty-less-often-in-federal-cases.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Juries Choosing Death Penalty Less Often in Federal Cases.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/juries-choosing-death-penalty-less-often-in-federal-cases. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
