In all, 27 of the states in America have death row -- including in Texas. The Lone Star State has had executions since 1819. It was only when the U.S. Supreme Court declared Capital Punishment "cruel and unusual" in 1972 that executions ceased in the state.

However, executions resumed in Texas in 1974. Since the year 1976, there have been 580 state executions. Currently, 196 people are sitting on death row -- including 7 women.

How often do women get sentenced to death?

One notable case involving a woman was in 1984. Karla Faye Tucker was convicted of murder that year, and executed in 1998. She was the first woman to be executed in the U.S. since 1984 and the first in Texas since 1863.

The most recently executed woman was Lisa Colman in 2014. She was sentenced for torturing and starving her girlfriend's young son to death.

The seven women placed on death row today have not been given an execution date. One woman has been on Death row since 1995, and the most recent was sentenced in 2022.

Is there a reason more men are sentenced to death row than women?

It's easy to see that far more men are sentenced to death row than women are -- and this is not only the case in Texas. There are many reasons one could blame this on, but one study chalks it up to gender bias.

gender bias continues to exist in the application of the death penalty, and that this bias has roots in the historic notion of chivalry.

The study claims women tend to get lighter sentences due to biases, or stereotypes. These can include beliefs such as what a woman's role in society is; that women have a lower capacity for violence; that women are weaker; and others.

But every now and then a woman does get sentenced to capital punishment. Including these seven:

Texas Women Currently on Death Row

It's not too often that women in Texas get sentenced to death. Currently, of the 196 inmates sitting on death row, only 7 are women.

Gallery Credit: Texas Department of Criminal Justice

Top 11 Counties for Executions in Texas and a Prisoner Who Was Executed in That County

Texas is well known for its use of the death penalty with many executions carried out for heinous crimes every year. Which counties have the most in the state? How many have been carried out in East Texas? Let's take a look at the numbers and some of the crimes committed.

Gallery Credit: Google Maps, Texas Department of Criminal Justice

6 Texas Prisons Housing Violent Criminals

After being convicted of a very serious crime Texas inmates could find themselves inside one of these Texas Prisons.

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins

More From KKTX FM