Executions decline in 2004

WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- A report issued Monday says 125 people were sentenced to death in the United States in 2004, the fewest since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976.

The Washington-based Death Penalty Information Center said death sentences have declined by more than 50 percent since the late 1990's, and the numbers in 2004 represented a drop of 13 percent compared to 2003.

The number of sentences was down in every area of the country, though federal death penalty sentences showed a marked increase in 2004, the center said. By comparison, 320 people were sentenced to death in 1996.

"The many problems associated with capital punishment are clearly impacting the number of people sentenced to death each year," said Richard Dieter, the center's executive director. "Persistent questions about whether the death penalty is applied accurately and fairly have resulted in greater skepticism about this practice among the public, capital jurors and many state and national officials."

These same factors have also contributed to declines in executions, death row population and public support for the death penalty, the center said.