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Today, October 2, 2013, the Death Penalty Information Center released a new report, The 2% Death Penalty: How a Minority of Counties Produce Most Death Cases at Enormous Costs to All. The report shows that, contrary to the assumption that the death penalty is widely used nationwide, only a few jurisdictions employ capital punishment extensively. Only 2% of U.S. counties are responsible for the majority of cases leading to executions since 1976. Nine counties in Texas are among the top 15 counties by execution since 1976.
The report notes that even within Texas, a minority of jurisdictions account for the majority of executions and death sentences. According to research by TCADP, just five counties account for more than half of the new death sentences imposed by Texas juries since 2008.
The new report from DPIC describes how aggressive use of the death penalty in relatively few counties produces enormous costs that are shifted to taxpayers in the entire state.
Go to http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/twopercent to read the report and see more compelling infographics.