What's the over/under on executions for 2007?

What's the over/under on executions for 2007?

The over/under on tonight's big game right now is set at 46. Were I a betting man, I would take the over. But if 46 was set as an over/under for the number of executions in the United States in 2007, I probably would take the under.

As shown here, though the number of executions has declined in recent years, the US still has averaged more than 50+ executions each year for the last dozen years. Yet, heading into 2007, there are many new legal dynamics likely to drive down the number of executions; lethal injection debate and litigation, some new administrations, and continued Supreme Court engagement all could significantly reduce how many executions are carried out in 2007.

But, as spotlighted by ODPI in posts here and here, the death penalty landscape is probably more impacted by evolving political realities than legal issues. If elected officials (including state judges) discover they can disrupt marches to death chambers without serious political fall-out, there could be amazingly few executions (except perhaps in Texas) throughout 2007.

January 8, 2007 at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)