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Fewer U.S. prisoners executed in 2000

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Eighty-five prisoners were executed in the United States in 2000, a drop of 13 from the previous year, and Texas accounted for nearly half of them.

Executions by state, 2000 Texas, 40; Oklahoma, 11; Virginia, 8; Florida, 6; Missouri, 5; Alabama, 4; Arizona, 3; and Arkansas, 2. Delaware, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and California each executed 1 person. Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics U.S. executions, 1977-2000* 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 1 0 2 0 1 2 5 21 18 18 25 11 16 23 14 31 38 31 56 45 74 68 98 85 *Death penalty reinstated in 1976 Source: Capital Punishment RESOURCES Message Board: Death penalty

Fourteen states executed at least one prisoner last year, out of 38 states that sanction capital punishment, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. No federal prisoner was executed in 2000.

The length of time that condemned prisoners are spending on death row appears to be growing. The average span from sentencing to execution for all prisoners executed since 1977 is 10 years, 1 month. But prisoners put to death in 2000 had a longer wait, averaging 11 years 5 months.

Using its own statistics, Amnesty International said on its Web site that prisoners put to death in the United States last year included people who were under 18 at the time of the crime, others who were mentally impaired and non-Americans who had their consular rights denied.

Amnesty, which opposes capital punishment, accused the United States of a "flagrant breach of international standards."

The Justice Department statistics for 2000 also showed:

-- 49 of those executed were white, 35 were black and one was American Indian

-- 80 of the executions were by lethal injection and five by electrocution.

-- 36 states authorized lethal injection in 2000, up from 21 states in 1990