The next condemned prisoner likely to face execution in Mississippi is Gerald James Holland, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl two decades ago.

Two inmates have been put to death this year and several other condemned prisoners are nearing the final stages of their appeals, according to Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood.

Hood has said changes in state and federal laws have increased the speed at which appeals move through the courts.

If another inmate is put to death in 2008, it would be the first time Mississippi has executed three people in the same calendar year since 1961, when five inmates faced the gas chamber. Two of those were executed for rape.