Professor Victor L. Streib of the Ohio Northern University College of Law analyzed the characteristics of the women on death row as of December 2012. He found that the ages of the women then on death row ranged from age 28 to 79 years old. They had been on death row from a few months to more than 26 years.

CHARACTERISTICS OF OFFENDERS AND VICTIMS IN FEMALE DEATH PENALTY CASES, as of December 31, 2012
OFFENDERS
AGE OF OFFENDER AT CRIME NR. Per.
18-19 3 5%
20 - 29 22 36%
30 - 39 23 38%
40 - 49 11 18%
50 - 59 2 3%
TOTAL 61 100%
CURRENT AGE OF OFFENDER NR. Per. RACE NR. Per.
20 - 29 2 3% Black 13 21%
30 - 39 13 21% Latina 8 13%
40 - 49 24 39% American Indian 1 2%
50 - 59 15 24% White 37 61%
60 - 69 5 8% Asian 2 3%
70 - 79 2 3%
TOTAL 61 100% TOTAL 61 100%
VICTIMS
Age at Time of the Crime NR. Per. RACE/SEX NR. Per.
0 - 4 9 11% Asian Male 3 3%
5 - 9 18 21% Asian Female 3 3%
10 - 19 12 14% Black Male 2 2%
20 - 29 16 19% Black Female 5 5%
30 - 39 11 13% Latin Male 12 14%
40 - 49 4 5% Latin Female 11 13%
50 - 59 5 6% White Male 30 35%
60 - 69 3 3% White Female 19 22%
70 - 79 4 5%
80 - 89 3 3%
TOTAL 85 100% TOTAL 85 100%

* 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.)

* Victor Streib’s report stated that 61 women were then on death row. The NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund’s “Death Row USA” October 1, 2012 reported that 63 women were on death row at the time. Death Row USA, however, included women whose sentences that had been reversed and were awaiting final disposition of their retrial or resentencing proceedings.