Life on death row
In 2019, California had the highest number of prisoners under sentence of death; that year, there were 724 people on death row in the state. However, California suspended the death penalty in that same year, citing high costs, racial disparities and wrongful convictions as the main reasons for the suspension.Texas executed three people in 2020, the highest of any state (although the federal government executed 10 people in that year), and has had the highest number of executions since 1976, totaling 569.
On a national scale, the number of prisoners under executed per year has fluctuated since 1990, with 22 executions taking place in 2019. Furthermore, the average length of time between sentencing and execution for inmates on death row has more than doubled since 1990.