Texas Death Sentences at Historic Low in 2008

Executions in the state of Texas, widely known as the state that hands out the most death sentences in the U.S., reached a historic low in 2008, with only nine individuals sentenced to die by juries in the year to date. An annual review of death penalty cases released in early December by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty also noted that: 

• Six Texas inmates' executions were stopped at the last minute by reprieves, and
• Seven death-row inmates had their sentences commuted to life in prison 

"Only" Eighteen Executions in 2008

Even so, 18 executions were held in Texas in 2008 (down from 26 in 2007) after May, delayed until then by the nationwide moratorium on executions as the U.S. Supreme Court was considering the constitutionality of lethal injection as an execution method. Texas uses lethal injection for executions. 

Even Harris County Rolls Back on Death Sentences

The Supreme Court allowed the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, and Texas resumed its executions in late 1982. In the 16 years since then, the state has executed 423 people (nationwide, 1,136 people have been executed since 1976). Harris County, which includes Houston, is the top contributor to death row in Texas, but in 2008, no one was sentenced to death in Harris County. 

The last scheduled 2008 execution in Texas took place on Nov. 20. At least ten Texas inmates are schedule to be executed next year; across the state, more than 350 people are on death row (118 of whom were sentenced to death in Harris County). 

(Source: MSNBC) 

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