Robin Lovitt narrowly avoided being execution number 1000. (Since 1977). Lovitt’s reprieve came a little less than 24 hours before his scheduled execution.

He has had his sentence commuted to life in prison without any chance of parole for stabbing a person to death with a pair of scissors in 1998.

Execution number 1000 is now scheduled for Friday, in North Carolina. Look at the scheduled list of Executions here

The issue of the death penalty is in the eyes of the media recently with a number of high-profile cases of people facing the death penalty. Also See Australians On Death Row

The Bali Nine. Nine Australians Arrested in Bali for Trafficking Heroin into Bali. The Bali Nine have not yet been sentenced, but it is widely rumoured that all will face the death penalty - A Balinese Firing Squad. Prosecutors in this case have already indicated they will be seeking the death penalty in at least four of the Bali Nine.

Schappelle Corby. Another Bali Drug Bust, Corby was caught with an amount of Marijuana in her Boogie-board bag. Prosecutors in this case originaly sought the death penalty, however this was later reduced to a sentence of 20 years in prison.

Van Nguyen. Convicted of Herion Trafficking and sentenced to death by hanging. This sentence was recently carried out

Check out which countries in the Asia Pacific egion still have the death penalty here