It’s Been 10 Years Since Louisiana Executed a Killer

Louisiana cleans its execution chamber at the state penitentiary daily, but it's been more than a decade since a condemned prisoner has laid on the chamber's black-padded gurney to die. Sixty-eight people sit on Louisiana’s death row, with no execution dates set. Though the state historically has been tough on crime and holds the dubious distinction as the nation's incarceration capital, Louisiana seems to be doing very little to carry out its death penalty. Louisiana reached the 10-year mark since its last execution this month, joining a trend of falling execution numbers across the country.

The Death Penalty Information Center says death chambers in 12 of 29 states with legalized capital punishment have gone unused for more than a decade. Utah will join that list in June.