next section: "DNA is not the answer" Krone cautions. Only a small number of the 200 exonerations since 1973 have been based on DNA evidence, and those cases, Krone says "are like a canary in a coal mine, alerting us to the harder to prove factors that cause most wrongful capital convictions." Other facts reflect the continuing decline of the death penalty in the U.S. New death sentences remain near historic lows, with just 21 new sentences imposed in 2023.[2] The annual number of executions hovers near 30-year lows, after peaking in 1999.[3] Just six states account for more than 87% of the executions carried out by U.S. states in the past decade.[4] In 2023, for the fourth time since 2016, only five states conducted executions,[5] and only seven states imposed new death sentences.[6] Proven innocence has played a role in this decline. Overall, the number of people facing execution on death row has decreased by almost 17% in the last five years, mostly due to reversals and resentencing.[7] Exonerations of innocent people who were on death row are included in that statistic