---
title: 'NEW RESOURCES: Bureau of Justice Statistics Releases Capital Punishment, 2008'
description: 'The Bureau of Justice Statistics released the 2008 version of its annual report on the death penalty in the U.S. in December 2009. Information drawn from…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-resources-bureau-of-justice-statistics-releases-capital-punishment-2008'
section: news
date: '2010-01-14T20:12:00-05:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:27:34-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

The **Bureau of Justice Statistics** released the 2008 version of its annual report on the death penalty in the U.S. in December 2009. Information drawn from the report includes:

- The number of people on **death row** declined from 3,215 in 2007 to 3,207 in 2008.
- 50% of those on death row had not graduated from **high school**; only 9% had any college education.
- 91% of those on death row had no **prior homicide** conviction.
- 13.2% of those on death row at the end of 2008 were **hispanic.**
- 22% of those on death row were **married**.
- 1,122 of those on death row were **under the age of 25** at the time of their arrest.
- The average **time** between sentencing and execution for all those executed in 2008 was 11.75 years.

(See Bureau of Justice Statistics, [**Capital Punishment, 2008 - Statistical Tables**](https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1757), released Dec. 3, 2009). See also DPIC's [**2009 Year End Report**](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/dpics-2009-year-end-report-released) and [**Sentencing**](../../../../../../article.php?did=895&scid=67).