Closer look at state, federal death sentences

The federal death penalty has been carried out three times in the past 40 years. Those executed were: Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 2001; Texas murderer and drug trafficker Juan Raul Garza in 2001; and Texas murderer and kidnapper Louis Jones in 2003. There are 54 inmates on federal death row.

Thirty-seven states, including Idaho and Washington, have the death penalty for state crimes. Overall, there have been 1,099 executions under state death penalty laws since 1976, including one in Idaho, four in Washington and 405 in Texas.

Since 1973, 124 inmates have been released from death row because of new evidence of innocence. Recent U.S. Supreme Court cases have overturned the death penalty for the mentally retarded (2002) and for juveniles (2005).

Early next year, the high court will consider a Kentucky case regarding the constitutionality of lethal injection procedures, and an Idaho case regarding when ineffective assistance from counsel during plea negotiations should invalidate a death sentence.

Source: Death Penalty Information Center