ment statutes, only 20 of them applied these laws in 1999. There are currently over 3600 criminals on death rows throughout the country. Every single one has committed murder. One of the minor Supreme Court cases over the years was Stanford v. Kentucky where the court held that it was not unconstitutional to execute youths that were 16 years old at the time of the crime. In 1999, two percent, or 28 criminals on death row were 17 years old or younger when they had committed their crimes. As it stands presently, the United States is one of only five countries to put to death children who committed their crime while they were under the age of 18. The other four are: Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran and Saudia Arabia. By the end of 2000, the youngest criminal sentenced to die was 18 years old, the eldest, 84, since 1976. Executions Since 1976Method# of Executions# of StatesLethal Injection54736Electrocution14910 (Sole method in 2 States)Gas Chamber115 (All have L.I. as Alternative)Hanging32 (All have L.I. as Alternative)Firing Squad22 (All have L.I. as Alternative)Race of Defendants Executed since 1976 Caucasian375African-American247Latino46Native American10Asian American 5Race of Victims since 1976 Caucasian739African-American116Latino29Asian American20Defendant-Victim Racial Combinations Since 1976 White VictimBlack VictimLatino VictimAsian VictimWhite Defendant3531133Black Defendant1636676Latino Defendant272151Asian Defendant1004Native American Defendant10000Total554792514Current Statistics on Defendant-Victim CombinationsInmatesCaucasian1719African American1595Hispanic328Other84Race of VictimsCaucasian82%African American13%Hispanic4%Other2%Persons Executed for Interracial Murders Since 1976 White Defendant/ Black Victim11Black Defendant /White Victim162Racial StatisticsOne of the most intense debates over capital punishments is whether or not it is inherently unequal on the grounds of race. Prejudice from the beginning of the process has been ma...
