Death penalty nearing historic lows in Texas and nationwide

The death penalty is on the downswing - not just in Texas, but nationwide.

A mid-year review by the Death Penalty Information Center found that the use of capital punishment is likely to hover near historic lows in 2017, with just 13 executions completed and 12 more slated to occur.

Last year, just 14 executions had been carried out by mid-point in the year.

Even the Lone Star State, which has typically been a heavy user of capital punishment, has seen a long-term drop in executions. In 2016, the state executed the fewest inmates it had in two decades, as the Chronicle reported in December.

"The number show that the long-term historic decline in the use of the death penalty in the U.S. appears to be continuing," said Robert Dunham, DPIC executive director.

RELATED GALLERY: Texas' most controversial executions

Texas' most controversial executions

Name: Linda Carty Crime: On May 16, 2001, Carty and three co-defendants invaded the home of a 25-year-old female. The victim and her 3-day-old baby were kidnapped and two other victims were beaten, duct taped, and left in the residence. The 25-year-old female was hog-tied with duct tape, a bag was taped over her head, and she was placed in the trunk of a car. This victim died from suffocation. Execution: Currently on Death Row Controversy: Her latest appeal for a new hearing includes an affidavit from a former DEA agent who alleges misconduct from the prosecutor and police. Among other things, this agent says the prosecutor threatened to ruin his career by falsely accusing him of an affair with Carty – his one-time confidential informant – if he didn’t testify in the case against her. less Texas' most controversial executions

Name: Name: Linda Carty Crime: On May 16, 2001, Carty and three co-defendants invaded the home of a 25-year-old female. The victim and her 3-day-old baby were kidnapped and two ... more Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle Photo: Melissa Phillip, Chronicle Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Death penalty nearing historic lows in Texas and nationwide 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

Some of the factors at play in the changing trend could include legal uncertainties, moratoriums, and death penalty drug shortages.

And on top of those logistical issues, public opinion has slowly shifted away from the practice. A Pew Research Survey in 2016 found that support for the death penalty had fallen below 50 percent for the first time in almost half a century. While a Gallup poll a year earlier found a slightly higher level of support in the general populace with 60 percent favoring the practice, even that higher number represents a decline.

"People feel much more comfortable with that alternative because if you make a mistake, you can fix it later," ACLU senior staff attorney Brian Stull said last year. "That is certainly lurking in the background."

But the current dip may not be record-setting; as of now, 2017 execution figures look to be slightly above the 26-year-low seen in 2016. But, that could change depending on whether Ohio is able to carry out the five executions scheduled between now and December.

Photo: Pat Sullivan, STF / Associated Press In this May 27, 2008 file photo, the gurney in Huntsville, Texas,...

Looking ahead, it's recent changes in Florida and Alabama that could have an sizable ongoing impact in nationwide death penalty numbers. Both states' legislatures repealed parts of their death penalty statutes. While Florida - with a push from the courts - eliminated the use of non-unanimous jury verdicts death sentences, Alabama repealed the portion of its law that allowed judges to override juries on life sentence recommendations, Dunham said.

"We have to add on top of that that fewer counties are pursuing the death penalty, period, and the counties in which prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty are pursuing it less frequently and are obtaining death verdicts even less frequently than that," he said.

As a result, it's also possible 2017 could see a new low in death sentences handed out. So far, states have only doled out 16 death sentences. Last year saw just 31 by the end of the year.

But even though Texas has witnessed a marked decrease in the use of capital punishment, it's still near the head of the pack for the remainder of the year, with five executions scheduled for the second half of 2017. That could mean a slight overall increase over last year's total death sentences nationwide

"But when it comes to the number of executions, the key number is actually that longer-term trends remain in tact," Dunham said. "Three-year and five-year execution trends continue to go downward. Historically, executions continue to decline and when we look at the long-term picture, 2017 will continue that historic decline."