In 2013, Blacks comprised nearly half of death row

By Frederick H. Low
Contributing Writer

(Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from TheNorthStarNews.com) — As of April 1 of this year, there were 3,108 men and women living on Death Row, including 1,300 African Americans, who comprised 41.83 percent of the condemned population, according to the 64-page report, “Death Row U.S.A.” by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc.

The number of Caucasians confined to Death Row was 1,341, or 43.15 percent, and the number of Hispanics incarcerated on Death Row was 389, or 12.52 percent.

There were 33 Native Americans who comprised 1.07 percent of the Death Row population and 44 Asians who comprised 1.42 percent of the Death Row population. There was one person whose race was not known. He or she comprised 0.03 percent of the Death Row population.

In total, there were 3,045 men or 97.97 percent of the Death Row population compared to 63 women who were 2.03 percent of the Death Row population.

Thirty-five states have death penalty statutes, compared to 18 states that do not.

Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976, 1,325 individuals have been executed. This includes 745 Caucasians, 455 African Americans, 102 Hispanics, 16 Native Americans and 7 Asians. States have executed 12 women and 1,313 men.

This article originally published in the December 9, 2013 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.