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capital punishment in the United States
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History & Society
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- capital punishment
Recent News
Feb. 21, 2024, 9:15 PM ET (AP)
Alabama seeks to carry out second execution using controversial nitrogen gas method
Capital punishment is legal in some U.S. states and not legal in others. In some states it has been officially or effectively put on hold as a result of gubernatorial actions. The map and table below indicate the legal or effective status, methods, and recent history of capital punishment in each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
| Legal Status of Capital Punishment in the United States | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Supreme Court’s 1972 ruling in Furman v. Georgia, which found the imposition of capital punishment in Georgia to be “arbitrary” and “capricious,” placed a de facto moratorium on executions in the United States. Many states resumed executions after amending their laws to comply with the Court’s decision. In its 1976 ruling in Gregg v. Georgia, the Court found that new standards for imposing capital punishment adopted by Georgia and other states were sufficiently clear and objective. | |||
| state | legal or effective status | authorized methods of execution | dates of post-Furman reinstatement, abolition, or moratorium |
| Alabama (AL) | legal | lethal injection, electrocution, nitrogen hypoxia | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1976. |
| Alaska (AK) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished by the legislature of the territory of Alaska in 1957. |
| Arizona (AZ) | under moratorium | lethal injection, gas chamber | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. In 2023 executions were put on hold by Gov. Katie Hobbs, pending completion of a review of Arizona’s execution protocols. |
| Arkansas (AR) | legal | lethal injection, electrocution | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| California (CA) | under moratorium | lethal injection, lethal gas | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1977. In 2019 Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order granting reprieves to all persons sentenced to death in California. |
| Colorado (CO) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1975 and abolished in 2020. |
| Connecticut (CT) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973 and abolished in 2012. |
| Delaware (DE) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974 and abolished in 2016. |
| District of Columbia (DC) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1981. |
| Florida (FL) | legal | lethal injection, electrocution | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1972. |
| Georgia (GA) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| Hawaii (HI) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished by the legislature of the territory of Hawaii in 1957. |
| Idaho (ID) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| Illinois (IL) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974 and abolished in 2011. |
| Indiana (IN) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| Iowa (IA) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1965. |
| Kansas (KS) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1994. |
| Kentucky (KY) | legal | lethal injection, electrocution | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1975. |
| Louisiana (LA) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| Maine (ME) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1887. |
| Maryland (MD) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1978 and abolished in 2013. |
| Massachusetts (MA) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1982 and abolished in 1984. |
| Michigan (MI) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1847. |
| Minnesota (MN) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1911. |
| Mississippi (MS) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. |
| Missouri (MO) | legal | lethal injection, lethal gas | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1975. |
| Montana (MT) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. |
| Nebraska (NE) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973, abolished in 2015, and reinstated in 2016. |
| Nevada (NV) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| New Hampshire (NH) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1991 and abolished in 2019. |
| New Jersey (NJ) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1982 and abolished in 2007. |
| New Mexico (NM) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1979 and abolished in 2009. |
| New York (NY) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973, abolished in 1984, reinstated in 1995, and abolished in 2007. |
| North Carolina (NC) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1977. |
| North Dakota (ND) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1973. |
| Ohio (OH) | under moratorium | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. Since 2020 Gov. Mike DeWine has delayed scheduled executions after rejecting lethal injection as a method of capital punishment. |
| Oklahoma (OK) | legal | lethal injection, electrocution, firing squad, nitrogen hypoxia | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| Oregon (OR) | under moratorium | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1978. In 2011 Gov. John Kitzhaber declared a moratorium on executions in Oregon; the moratorium has been maintained by his successors. |
| Pennsylvania (PA) | under moratorium | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. In 2015 Gov. Tom Wolf declared a moratorium on executions in Pennsylvania; the moratorium was extended by Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2023. |
| Rhode Island (RI) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973 and abolished in 1984. |
| South Carolina (SC) | legal | lethal injection, electrocution | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. |
| South Dakota (SD) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1979. |
| Tennessee (TN) | under moratorium | lethal injection, electrocution | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. In 2022 Gov. Bill Lee halted executions scheduled for that year pending a review of Tennessee’s execution protocol; he later announced a further stay until problems with the protocol were resolved. |
| Texas (TX) | legal | lethal injection | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1974. |
| Utah (UT) | legal | lethal injection, firing squad | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1973. |
| Vermont (VT) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1972. |
| Virginia (VA) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1975 and abolished in 2021. |
| Washington (WA) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1975 and abolished in 2018. |
| West Virginia (WV) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1965. |
| Wisconsin (WI) | not legal | none | Capital punishment was abolished in 1853. |
| Wyoming (WY) | legal | lethal injection, lethal gas | Capital punishment was reinstated in 1977. |