By Alabama Public Radio
Washington, D.C. – According to the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, last year, a dozen states executed 59 prisoners, six fewer than in 2003. Alabama executed two convicted killers in 2004, compared to 23 in Texas, seven in Ohio, six in Oklahoma and five in Virginia. Alabama has carried out four executions this year. The government report also said 125 people, including five women, who were convicted of murder received a death sentence last year. That was the smallest number since 1973.