While Texas led the nation in the number of inmates executed in 2018, the use of capital punishment in the state continues to decline, according to a new report.
HOUSTON — While Texas led the nation in the number of inmates executed in 2018, the use of capital punishment in the state continues to decline, according to a new report.
The Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty said in its year-end review report the drop can be attributed, in part, to prosecutors and the public continuing to turn away from the death penalty.
“The death penalty landscape in Texas has changed significantly over the last 20 years,” said Kristin Houlé, the coalition’s executive director. “Not only have the number of death sentences and executions declined by staggering percentages, but the chorus of voices raising concerns about the application of the death penalty grows louder and more diverse every day.”
In recent years, reform-minded district attorneys have been elected in some of Texas’ most populous counties.
Voters in Dallas County and in Bexar County, where San Antonio is located, elected district attorneys in November who have expressed concerns about the use of the death penalty and who appear more willing to promote life without parole as an alternative punishment.
