December 2011
The number of new death sentences dropped dramatically in 2011, falling below 100 for the first time in the modern era of capital punishment. Executions also continued to decline, while developments in a variety of states illustrated the growing discomfort that many Americans have with the death penalty. Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011, the governor of Oregon declared a moratorium on all executions and a national outcry was heard around the execution of Troy Davis in Georgia because of doubts about his guilt.