U.S. death sentences, executions lowest in 25 years

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Although the number of people sentenced to death or executed in the United States continues to decrease, as it has for decades, some voters in the country continue to support its largely controversial use.

There were 30 new death sentences given out in the United States in 2016 and 20 people were executed, the lowest number of either since the mid-1970s.

And although most juries now opt for life in prison, there are 31 states with death penalties, and three states -- California, Nebraska and Oklahoma -- voted this year to keep the death penalty.

"America is in the midst of a major climate change concerning capital punishment," Robert Dunham, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center and author of the report, said in a press release. "While there may be fits and starts and occasional steps backward, the long-term trend remains clear."

According to the report, there were declines in both death sentences and executions from 2015, when 49 people were sentenced to death and 28 were executed.

In 2016, five states issued more than one death penalty, and those five are responsible for two-thirds of the 30 new death sentences: California issued the most, with nine, followed by four each in Ohio and Texas, three in Alabama and two in Florida. In addition, 2016 is the first time in 40 years that no state issued more than 10 death penalties in a single year.

The 20 executions this year -- conducted in five states -- is a 25 percent drop from 2015. Of the 20, 80 percent were conducted in Georgia, which executed nine inmates, and Texas, which executed seven.

"Whether it's concerns about innocence, costs and discrimination, availability of life without parole as a safe alternative, or the questionable way in which states are attempting to carry out executions, the public grows increasingly uncomfortable with the death penalty each year," Dunham said.