The study of the death penalty in different states is important so that we can see if  the use of capital punishment is effective or not.  The fact that 38 states use the death penalty and 12 do not shows that our country thinks it is an effective form of punishment.  This page will show the comparison of states with and with out the death penalty.  It will also show the methods of execution and statistics of how many wrongful convictions and executions were taken place in the U.S.
 
 
 

State	Death Row	Executions	Released From Death Row
Texas	454	253	9
Virginia	28	83	1
Florida	384	51	21
Missouri	75	53	2
Oklahoma	122	46	7

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The chart above shows the number of inmates on death row, number of executions, and the number of inmates released from death row from the top five states that uses Capital Punishment.

For more information on all states click here
These states use the death penalty to deter homicide.
    To some people the death penalty is seen as a deterrent for crime. These people believe that when a pserosn is put to death it will stope that criminal from killing again. Other people that see this as a deterrent think that there should be an eye for and eye to create closure for the victim's families.
    On the other hand people see the death penalty the opposite way. The think that the dath penalty is not a deterrent because even if a sperson is put to deather there is still crime. These people say that criminals don't stop and think about the consequences of their actions so therefore the criminal still commits the crime. Some of these people think that this system of punishment teaches using violence to stop violence.
    Both arguments are valid. Whether capital punishment is a deterrent or not is a personal opinion.

                                Circumstances for use of the Death Penalty

Aggravating Factors
                    - Multiple killings
                    - Racial motivated killings
                    - Rape
                    - Other felonies
 
 

State	Circumstances used by different states of the death penalty
Texas	murder of a public safety officer, firefighter or correctional employee murder during the commission of specified felonies (kidnapping burglary robbery aggravated rape arson) murder for remuneration multiple murders murder during a prison escape murder by a state prison inmate murder of an individual under eight years old
Virginia	murder during the commission or attempts to commit specified felonies (abduction, armed robbery, rape, sodomy) contracted murder murder by a prisoner while in custody murder of a law enforcement officer multiple murders murder of a child under the age of 12 during an abduction murder arising from drug violations
Florida	murder sexual battery of a female age 11 or under by a male 18 or older.
Missouri	Allows it as an option in  first degree murder cases
Oklahoma	murder with malice aforethought murder arising from specified felonies (forcible rape robbery with a dangerous weapon kidnapping escape from lawful custody first degree burglary arson) murder when the victim is a child who has been injured tortured or maimed

This chart shows the top five states that use Capital Punishment and what crimes allow for the death penalty to be an option.
 

A review of death penalty judgments over a 23-year period found a national error rate of 68%. In a matter of life and death, we are getting it wrong more than 2 out of every 3 times.

- Nationally, the overall rate of reversible error found in capital sentences was 68% -- in other words, in nearly seven out of every ten cases involving capital sentences, the courts found error sufficiently prejudicial to reverse. The most common errors, prompting the majority of the reversals, were ineffective assistance of counsel and police or prosecutorial misconduct.

- Of the 68% of defendants whose cases were reversed, 82% were found to deserve something less than death when errors were cured on retrial; 7% were found to be innocent of the capital crime.

- High error rates exist across the country. More than nine out of 10 states with the death penalty have overall error rates of 52% or higher; 85% of the states have error rates of 60% or higher; three-fifths of the states have error rates of 70% or higher.
*To see charts of States overall error rate *click here
 
 

These states were chosen because they are the top states that use the death penalty.
 

States	Crime Rate (1998 per 100,000 inhabinants)
Texas	1,346
Florida	967
Virginia	422
Missouri	399
Oklahoma	204

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The Useage of  the Death penalty is more prominant in the south because of  the vast amount of crime in the south
 *Example
- South Carolina - 306 murders in 1998
- Minnisota - 121 murders in 1998
To see more data go to Crime Rates  (scroll down for all U.S. states statistics)