The Death Penalty
Lilly Blow
"I miss the stars. You know, I haven’t seen the stars in years and years and years, I miss the rain. I miss food, I miss all these things. But what it comes down to the most – and this is the thing that will scar me the most and that I’ll carry with me as a scar the longest – the thing I miss the most is being treated like a human being." - Damien Echols (death row inmate, 1983-2011)
What is happening
In the United States, as of 2024, twenty-seven states enforce the death penalty. There are currently 2,331 prisoners on death row. Out of these 2,331 prisoners, 2,281 (97.85 percent) are men and 50 (2.15 percent) are women. Along with this, there are 978 White prisoners (41.96 percent), 961 Black prisoners (41.23 percent), 325 Latino/Latina prisoners (13.94 percent), 23 Native American prisoners (.99 percent), and 44 Asian prisoners (1.89 percent).
Graphs highlighting the number of death row prisoners by gender and race.
Map highlighting the current states in the US that still enforce the death penalty.
What is wrong
The death penalty has statistics and data that point to the mistreatment and injustice of humans. For every eight people executed, one person on death row has been exonerated. That means that 12.5% percent of people who are executed are later proven to be innocent. This statistic in itself shows the illegitimacy of the justice system, as people are being sentenced to death and killed just to be proven innocent afterward. Not everyone put on death row is guilty. There are false eyewitness accounts, false/coerced confessions, inadequate legal representation, false evidence, and more.
Walter McMillian and Anthony Ray Hinton after being exonerated
Questions?
Contact lilly.blow@fontbonneboston.org to get more information on the project