States and Capital Punishment - National Conference of State ...

Capital punishment is currently authorized in 31 states, by the federal government and the U.S. military. In recent years several states ... Login | CreateAccount | Contact| Help CIVIL&CRIMINALJUSTICE CivilandCriminalJustice AllDocuments CivilJustice CorrectionsandSentencing Front-EndJustice JuvenileJustice LawEnforcement PretrialRelease StatesandCapitalPunishment 8/11/2021 TableofContents MethodsofExecution RecentStateEnactments U.S.SupremeCourtDecisions AdditionalResources Contact CriminalJusticeProgram,303-364-7700 Capitalpunishmentiscurrentlyauthorizedin27states,bythefederalgovernmentandtheU.S.military.Inrecentyears,NewMexico(2009),Illinois(2011),Connecticut(2012),Maryland(2013),NewHampshire(2019),Colorado(2020)andVirginia(2021)havelegislativelyabolishedthedeathpenalty,replacingitwithasentenceoflifeimprisonmentwithnopossibilityforparole.TheNebraskaLegislaturealsoabolishedcapitalpunishmentin2015,butitwasreinstatedbyastatewidevotein2016.Additionally,courtsinWashingtonandDelawarerecentlyruledthatthestates'capitalpunishmentlawsareunconstitutional.Statesacrossthecountrywillcontinuetodebateitsfairness,reliabilityandcostofimplementation. RecentStateEnactments Since2015,25statesenacted66newlawsaddressingstatesystemsofcapitalpunishment.Trendsincludeexpandingorlimitingaggravatingfactors,modifyingexecutionmethodsandprocedures,changingtrialandappellateprocedures,modifyinglawstocomplywithlitigationoutcomesandrepealingthepracticealltogether.Searchrecentenactmentsbytopic,state,year,andkeywordwithNCSL'sCapitalPunishmentEnactmentDatabase. MethodsofExecution Lethalinjectioniscurrentlytheprimarymethodofexecutionin28ofthe29statesthatauthorizeexecutions.Texaswasthefirststatetousethemethod,in1982. In2021,SouthCarolinabecamethefirststatetodepartfromusinglethalinjectionasaprimaryexecutionmethod.Itistheonlystateinwhichelectrocutionisprimary,withfiringsquadandlethalinjection,authorizedbystatuteassecondarymethodsofexecution. InadditiontoSouthCarolina,15otherstateshaveasecondarymethodofexecutionauthorizedbystatute.LawsinAlabama,Arkansas,Mississippi,NewHampshire,Oklahoma,Tennessee,UtahandWyomingprovideasecondaryoptioniflethalinjectionisfoundtobeunconstitutionaland/orunavailable.Arizona*,Kentucky,TennesseeandUtahallhaveachoiceofsecondarymethodsforoffenderswhoweresentencedbeforetheintroductionoflethalinjection.AndAlabama,California*,Florida,Missouri,VirginiaandWashingtonhaveothermethodsthatareavailableiftheoffenderrequestsanalternative.Secondarymethodsofexecutionincludeelectrocution,lethalgas,hanging,nitrogenhypoxia,andfiringsquad. *Seecaselawineachstatetodeterminetheconstitutionalityofsecondarymethods.Forexample,seeLaGrandv.Stewart,173F.3d1144(1999). Thepurplestatesonlyhaveasinglemethod:lethalinjection.Bluestateshavesecondarymethodsofexecution.Clickonthosestatestodisplaydetailsonsecondarymethods.Thegraystatesdonothavecapitalpunishment. NotethatColoradoandNewHampshireprospectivelyabolishedcapitalpunishment.InColorado,thegovernorcommutedthesentencesofthoseondeathrow,butdefendantswithpendingcasesatthetimeofabolitionarestilleligibleforexecutionandtheexecutionstatuteisstillvalid.InNewHampshireoneindividualremainsondeathrow. Thepurple statesonlyhaveasinglemethod:lethalinjectionandbluestateshavebothaprimary andasecondarymethod.Clickonthose statestodisplaydetailsonspecificmethods.Thegraystatesdonothavecapitalpunishment. Alabama §15-18-82.1 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethods:  Electrocution NitrogenHypoxia Arizona §13-757 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethod: LethalGas Arkansas §5-4-617 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethod: Electrocution California PenalCode§3604 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethod:  LethalGas Colorado §18-1.3-1202 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Florida  §922.105 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection SecondaryMethod: Electrocution Georgia §17-10-38 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Idaho §19-2716 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Indiana §35-38-6-1 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Kansas §22-4001 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Kentucky §431.220 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethod:  Electrocution Louisiana §15:569 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Mississippi §99-19-51 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection SecondaryMethods:  NitrogenHypoxia Electrocution FiringSquad Missouri §546.720 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethod:  LethalGas Montana §46-19-103 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection NewHampshire §630:5 PrimaryMethod:  LethalInjection SecondaryMethod: Hanging Nebraska §83-964 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  Nevada §176.355 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  NorthCarolina §15-188 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  Ohio §2949.22 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection Oklahoma Title22§1014 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection SecondaryMethods:  NitrogenHypoxia Electrocution FiringSquad Oregon §137.473 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  Pennsylvania Title61§4304 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  SouthCarolina §24-3-530 PrimaryMethod: Electrocution SecondaryMethod:  LethalInjection FiringSquad SouthDakota §23A-27A-32 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  SecondaryMethod: Nosecondarymethodisprovidedforinstatute,but§23A-27A-32.1authorizesoffenderssentencedpriortoJuly1,2007tochoosethemethodofexecutionauthorizedbylawatthetimeofconvictionorsentence. Tennessee §40-23-114 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection SecondaryMethod:  Electrocution Texas Crim.Pro.Art.§43.14 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection  Utah   §77-18-5.5 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection SecondaryMethod: FiringSquad Wyoming §7-13-904 PrimaryMethod: LethalInjection SecondaryMethod:  LethalGas 21stateshave1-5disasters,20stateshave6-10disastersand8stateshave11ormoredisastersALAKAZARCACOCTDCDEFLGAHIILINIAKSKYLAMEMAMDMIMNMSMOMTNENVNHNJNMNYNCNDOHOKORPARISCSDTNTXUTVAWAWVWIWYVTIDPRASGUMPVI SignificantLitigation Overthepastdecade,severalU.S.SupremeCourtrulingshavenarrowedthedeathpenalty’sapplicationinthestates.Thecourthasabolishedthedeathpenaltyformentallydisabledoffenders(Atkinsv.Virginia,2002),juvenileoffenders(Roperv.Simmons,2005),andforthoseconvictedofrapingachildwheredeathwasnottheintendedoractualresult(Kennedyv.Louisiana,2008)–eachrulingstatesthattheexecutionofsuchindividualsisunconstitutional,violatingcruelandunusualpunishment.Inaddition,thecourthasrequiredthatjuriesandnotjudgesfindfactsthatmakeadefendanteligibleforcapitalpunishment(Ringv.Arizona,2002),andimposeasentenceofdeath(Hurstv.Florida,2016). Statecourtshavealsohadanimpact.TheDelawareSupremeCourtissuedadecisiononAugust2,2016strikingdownthestate’sdeathpenaltystatute,rulingthatitviolatedtheSixthAmendmentasinterpretedbytheU.S.SupremeCourtdecisionHurstv.Florida.TheDelawareattorneygeneralannouncedthathewillnotappealthedecisionofthestatecourtandlegislationwouldberequiredtoreinstatecapitalpunishmentinthestate.TheWashingtonSupremeCourtalsorecentlystruckdownthestate'sdeathpenaltyonOctober11,2018.Thiswasthefourthtimethecourthasruledthestate'scapitalpunishmentlawunconstitutional,callingit"invalidbecauseitisimposedinanarbitraryandraciallybiasedmanner." TheWashingtonSupremecourtissuedadecisiononOctober11,2018strikingdownthestate’sdeathpenaltystatuteasapplied.ThisdecisionwasthefourthtimetheWashingtonSupremeCourthasruledthestate’scapitalpunishmentlawunconstitutional.Thecourtwrotethatthe“deathpenaltyisinvalidbecauseitisimposedinanarbitraryandraciallybiasedmanner,”andfoundthatthelawasappliedviolatesArticleI,Section14ofthestateconstitutionbecauseitfailstoserveanylegitimatepenologicalgoal. Atkinsv.Virginia(2002) Ringv.Arizona(2002) Roperv.Simmons(2005) Kennedyv.Louisiana(2008) Bazev.Rees(2008) Glossipv.Gross(2014) Hurstv.Florida(2016) Overviewof2013-2016USSupremeCourtDeathPenaltyCases Overviewof2017USSupremeCourtDeathPenaltyCases   AdditionalResources NCSLReport:TheStateofCapitalPunishment(2019) CriminalJusticehomepage StateLegislaturesMagazine:DebatingtheDeathPenalty(2020) StateLegislaturesMagazine:DeathPenaltyonTrial(2019) NewHampshireAbolishesCapitalPunishmentonLegislature’sVetoOverride(2019) WashingtonSupremeCourtOverturnsCapitalPunishment(2018) NebraskaAbolishestheDeathPenalty(2015) MarylandAbolishestheDeathPenalty (2013) ConnecticutAbolishestheDeathPenalty(2015) Re-ExaminingtheDeathPenalty(2011) TheCostofPunishment(2011) VideoofDeathPenaltySession,LegislativeSummit(2010) StateReportsonCapitalPunishmentIssues        Copyright2022byNationalConferenceofStateLegislatures TermsOfUse | PrivacyStatement Thiswebsiteusescookiestoanalyzetrafficandforotherpurposes.Youconsenttotheuseofcookiesifyouusethiswebsite. 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