Quite a death penalty start: many executions scheduled to kick off 2010

As detailed on this upcoming executions page at the Death Penalty Information Center, the new year and the new decade is due to get off to a fast and potent start when it comes to executions.  Specifically, three defendants are right now scheduled to be executed in three different states on Thursday, January 7.  And because the three states in which these executions are scheduled — Louisiana, Ohio and Texas — are not strangers to the death penalty, there is likely a good chance that none of the executions will be stayed.

In addition, South Carolina has an execution scheduled for January 8, and both Oklahoma and Texas have additional executions slated for next week. If all these executions go forward, 2010 will start on a record pace for the total number of executions in a calender year in the United States. It appears, however, that only about a half-dozen executions are currently scheduled for the rest of the winter. Thus, it is much too early to predict if 2010 will mark a year in which the the number of executions came roaring back to life.