I recently came across the numbers of convictions and executions in the latter half of 18th century England. The number of executions varied and it wasn’t immediately clear if there were any larger trends.

Convictions Executions
1749-58 527 365
1759-68 372 206
1769-78 787 357
1779-88 1152 531
1789-98 770 191
1799-1808 804 126

But I found that once you look at the number of executions relative to convictions, the growing distaste in executions in Georgian England becomes far more apparent.

Convictions Executions Percentage
1749-58 527 365 69.3
1759-68 372 206 55.4
1769-78 787 357 45.4
1779-88 1152 531 46.1
1789-98 770 191 24.8
1799-1808 804 126 15.7

I graphed change in the percentage against time but also included the total number of executions by varying the line thickness. I think it’s interesting because it shows the decline in the percentage of executions while reminding us that there were still a tremendous number of executions. And while the overall trend is clear and good, there are major setbacks along the way.

x = np.array(range(6))
y = df['Percentage']
widths = df['Executions'].values / 100
import matplotlib.patches as patch

fig, ax = plt.subplots(1, 1, figsize=(10, 10))
ax.set_xlim(-.5,5.5)
ax.set_ylim(10,80)

new_w = np.array(widths)

for i in range(len(x)-1):
    c = [[x[i], y[i]+new_w[i]/2.],
         [x[i+1], y[i+1]+new_w[i+1]/2.],
         [x[i+1], y[i+1]-new_w[i+1]/2.],
         [x[i], y[i]-new_w[i]/2.]
        ]
    p = patch.Polygon(c)
    ax.add_patch(p)
plt.xlabel("Decade", fontsize=16)
plt.ylabel("Execution Percentage", fontsize=16)
plt.title("Declining appetite for executions in 18th century England", fontsize=18)
plt.xticks(x, decade)
plt.show()

png