The high court has issued a series of decisions narrowing the death penalty, putting a stop to the execution of juveniles, the insane and the mentally retarded. There also are more jurisdictions where jurors are given options other than death, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center.

"Juries are being given a choice of life without parole that they didn't have in the early '90s," he said. Dieter also said increased public attention has led to better legal representation for defendants who could face the death penalty.

The article also has some stats on Texecutions, pre and post-Bush:

As governor of Texas, a state that executes more inmates than any other, Bush commuted one death sentence and allowed 152 executions. Texas sent the most people to death row last year - 23, followed by California, which sent 11 and Florida and Alabama, which each sent 8.

This is very good news, particularly when considered in light of this recent study based on a 2003 Gallup poll showing that support for the death penalty is down.

The study notes that in 1986, 61 percent of Americans held the view that the death penalty acts as a deterrent, but that has since dropped to 33 percent.....fewer Americans support the death penalty as a result of the growing number of inncents on death row. A whopping 75% believe that an innocent person has been executed in the last five years.