How Many People Are On Death Row In The State Of Missouri?

Some of you may know that recently in our state, we had a legal execution.  The Supreme Court of Missouri ordered Mr. Kevin Johnson put to death by lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre. He was the second Missouri man put to death in 2022 and the 17th nationally.  You can read Randy's article HERE.

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The United States is an outlier in regards to other countries when it comes to the death penalty. About 70% of the countries around the world have abolished it.  Among developed, democratic countries — and across the country, there are more than 2,000 people on death row.

There are 27 states that still have the death penalty and Missouri is one of them.  So how many people do we have on death row in our state? And how do we compare with other states?  We will get to that shortly.

For the record, among the 27 states where the death penalty remains legal, its use is limited for those convicted of the most horrific crimes, such as a multiple homicide, murder of a police officer, or murder of a child. According to Death Row U.S.A. Spring 2022, a report by the Legal Defense Fund, 20 people were on death row in Missouri as of April 1st, 2022 – the 18th most among states. After Tuesday night’s (11/29) state execution of 37-year-old Kevin Johnson, 19 people in Missouri remain on death row (still 18th most among states).

So how do we compare to the other states? Here is how they breakdown:

Are you for the death penalty? Or do you prefer life in prison with no possibility of parole? Feel free to share your thoughts.