Death row

For other uses, see Death row (disambiguation).

Part of a series on
Capital punishment
Issues
Debate · Religion and capital punishment · Wrongful execution · Drugs
Current use
Belarus · China (PRC) · Cuba · Egypt · India · Iran · Iraq · Japan · Malaysia · Mongolia · North Korea · Pakistan · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · South Korea · Taiwan (ROC) · Tonga · United States · Vietnam
Past use
Australia · Austria · Belgium · Bhutan · Brazil · Bulgaria · Canada · Cyprus · Denmark · Ecuador · France · Germany · Hong Kong · Israel · Italy · Mexico · Netherlands · New Zealand · Norway · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia · San Marino · South Africa · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey · United Kingdom · Venezuela
Current methods
Decapitation · Electrocution · Gas chamber · Hanging · Lethal injection · Shooting (Firing squad) · Stoning · Nitrogen asphyxiation (proposed)
Past methods
Boiling · Breaking wheel · Burning · Crucifixion · Crushing · Disembowelment · Dismemberment · Drawing and Quartering · Execution by elephant · Flaying · Impaling · Sawing · Slow slicing
Other related topics
Crime · Death row · Last meal · Penology
v · d · e

Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ("being on death row"), even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists. After individuals are found guilty of an offense and sentenced to death, they remain on death row during appeal and habeas corpus procedures, and if those are unsuccessful, until execution. Due to the complex, expensive, and time-consuming appeals procedures mandated in some jurisdictions, e.g. the United States, before an execution can be carried out, prisoners may wait years before execution; nearly a quarter of deaths on death row in the U.S. are due to natural causes.^[1]

Opponents of capital punishment claim that a prisoner's isolation and uncertainty over his or her fate constitute a form of mental cruelty and that especially long-time death row inmates are liable to become mentally ill, if they are not already. This is referred to as the death row phenomenon.

In the United Kingdom, the convicted were given one appeal of their sentence. If that appeal was found to involve an important point of law it was taken up to the House of Lords and at that point the sentence was changed to life in prison.^[2] In some Caribbean countries which still authorize execution, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the ultimate court of appeals. It has upheld appeals by prisoners who have spent several years under sentence of death, stating that it does not desire to see the death row phenomenon emerge in countries under its jurisdiction. Haiti continued^{[citation needed]} the conventional 'reprieved if not executed within 90 days' process adopted by Britain before its abolition (Haiti later abolished the death penalty in 1987).^[3]

United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute houses the male death row prisoners sentenced by the U.S. federal government

San Quentin State Prison houses the male death row prisoners sentenced by the U.S. state of California

Allan B. Polunsky Unit houses the male death row prisoners sentenced by the U.S. state of Texas

Louisiana State Penitentiary, which houses the male death row prisoners sentenced by the State of Louisiana

The Mississippi State Penitentiary, which houses male death row prisoners sentenced by the State of Mississippi

Oklahoma State Penitentiary, which houses male death row prisoners sentenced by the state of Oklahoma

There were approximately 3,254 people on death row in the United States as of May 7, 2011 (http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state_by_state). As of 2008, the longest-serving prisoner on death row in the U.S.A. who has been executed was Jack Alderman who served over 33 years. He was executed in 2008.^[4] However, Alderman only holds the distinction of being the longest-serving executed inmate so far. A Florida inmate, Gary Alvord, arrived on Florida's death row before Alderman arrived on Georgia's death row and, on 9 April 2009, Alvord had been on death row for exactly 35 years,^[5] longer than any other United States death row inmate. The oldest prisoner on death row in the United States was Leroy Nash, age 94, in Arizona. He died of natural causes on February 12, 2010.

Death row locations in the United States

	Men's death row	Women's death row
Civilian Federal	United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, Terre Haute, Indiana[6]	Federal Medical Center, Carswell, Fort Worth, Texas[7][8][9]
Military	United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas	Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar, San Diego, California1

State	Men's death row	Women's death row
Alabama	Holman Correctional Facility[10] and William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility[11]	Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women[12]
Arizona	Arizona State Prison Complex - Eyman[13]	Arizona State Prison Complex - Perryville[13]
Arkansas	Varner Unit[14]	McPherson Unit[15]
California	San Quentin State Prison[16]	Central California Women’s Facility[16]
Colorado	Colorado State Penitentiary[17]	Colorado State Penitentiary[citation needed]
Connecticut	Northern Correctional Institution[18]	York Correctional Institution[19]
Delaware	James T. Vaughn Correctional Center[20]	Delores J. Baylor Women's Correctional Institution[20]
Florida	Union Correctional Institution and Florida State Prison[21]	Lowell Correctional Institution Annex[21]
Georgia	Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison[22]	Metro State Prison[23]
Idaho	Idaho Maximum Security Institution, Boise	Pocatello Women's Correctional Center, Pocatello
Illinois	Pontiac Correctional Center, Pontiac[24]	Dwight Correctional Center[24]
Indiana	Indiana State Prison, Michigan City	Indiana Women's Prison, Indianapolis
Kansas	El Dorado Correctional Facility, El Dorado	Topeka Correctional Facility, Topeka
Kentucky	Kentucky State Penitentiary, Eddyville[25]	Kentucky Correctional Institute for Women, Peewee Valley[26]
Louisiana	Louisiana State Penitentiary[27]	Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, St. Gabriel[28]
Maryland	North Branch Correctional Institution[29]	Maryland Correctional Institution - Women, Jessup[citation needed]
Mississippi	Mississippi State Penitentiary[30]	Central Mississippi Correctional Facility[30]
Missouri	Potosi Correctional Center[31]	Fulton[citation needed]
Montana	Montana State Prison, Deer Lodge	Montana Women's Prison, Billings
Nebraska	Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, Tecumseh	Nebraska Correctional Center for Women, York
Nevada	Ely State Prison, Ely[32]	Florence McClure Women's Correctional Center, North Las Vegas[33]
New Hampshire	New Hampshire State Prison for Men, Concord	New Hampshire State Prison for Women, Goffstown
New Mexico	Penitentiary of New Mexico, Santa Fe County	New Mexico Women's Correctional Facility, Grants
New York2	Clinton Correctional Facility, Dannemora[34]	Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, Bedford Hills[34]
North Carolina	Central Prison, Raleigh[35]	North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, Raleigh[35]
Ohio	Mansfield Correctional Institution, Mansfield[36] and Ohio State Penitentiary, Youngstown[36]3	Ohio Reformatory for Women, Marysville[36]
Oklahoma	Oklahoma State Penitentiary, McAlester	Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, Oklahoma City
Oregon	Oregon State Penitentiary, Salem[37]	Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, Wilsonville[citation needed]
Pennsylvania	SCI-Greene, Franklin Township and Skippack Township (SCI Graterford)[38]	SCI-Muncy, Clinton Township[38]
South Carolina	Lieber Correctional Institution, Ridgeville[39]	Camille Griffin Graham Correctional Institution, Columbia[40]
South Dakota	South Dakota State Penitentiary, Sioux Falls	South Dakota Women's Prison, Pierre
Tennessee	Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville[41] and Morgan County Correctional Complex, Wartburg[41]	Tennessee Prison for Women, Nashville[41]
Texas	Polunsky Unit, West Livingston[42][43]	Mountain View Unit, Gatesville[43]
Utah	Utah State Prison, Draper	Central Utah Correctional Facility, Gunnison
Virginia	Sussex I State Prison, Sussex County[44][45]	Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women[46][47]
Washington	Washington State Penitentiary, Walla Walla[48]	Washington Corrections Center for Women[48]
Wyoming	Wyoming State Penitentiary, Rawlins	Wyoming Women's Center, Lusk

Notes: ¹Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar is the only facility in the United States Department of Defense designated to house female Level III inmates.
²Last death sentence reversed in 2007.
³The majority of male death row inmates in Ohio will be moved to the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Chillicothe by January 2012. Some high security death row cells will be maintained at OSP after the transfer for condemned inmates that are considered extremely violent. ^[49]

See also

	Criminal justice portal
	Law portal

• Live from Death Row
• The Green Mile
• The Chamber
• Dead Man Walking
• Capital punishment
• List of United States death row inmates
• List of exonerated death row inmates
• Execution chamber

References

1. ^ United States Department of Justice
2. ^ http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/capital_hist.htm
3. ^ "Abolitionist and retentionist countries". Amnesty International. http://www.amnesty.org/en/death-penalty/abolitionist-and-retentionist-countries. Retrieved January 13, 2010. "1987: Haiti, Liechtenstein and the German Democratic Republic (1) abolished the death penalty for all crimes." 
4. ^ Jack Alderman Executed
5. ^ [1]
6. ^ "Special Confinement Unit Opens at USP Terre Haute." Federal Bureau of Prisons. July 13, 1999. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.
7. ^ Marshall, John. "Lisa Montgomery gets death penalty for killing pregnant woman." Associated Press at the Southeast Missourian. Friday April 4, 2008. Retrieved on October 3, 2010. "Department of Justice spokesman Don Ledford said Montgomery will likely be sent to the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, a women's correctional facility that has medical services for inmates."
8. ^ "Lisa M Montgomery." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.
9. ^ "Angela Johnson." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on October 14, 2010.
10. ^ "Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003." Alabama Department of Corrections. 33/84. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "which also included a cellblock for 20 death row inmates."
11. ^ "Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003." Alabama Department of Corrections. 21/84. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Donaldson has a death row unit with a capacity of 24 inmates."
12. ^ "Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003." Alabama Department of Corrections. 45/84. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Tutwiler also has a death row,"
13. ^ ^{a b} "Death Row Information and Frequently Asked Questions." Arizona Department of Corrections. Retrieved on February 23, 2011.
14. ^ "State Capitol Week in Review." State of Arkansas. June 13, 2008. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Executions are carried out in the Cummins Unit, which is adjacent to Varner."
15. ^ Haddigan, Michael. "They Kill Women, Don't They?" Arkansas Times. April 9, 1999. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
16. ^ ^{a b} "History of Capital Punishment in California." California Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 16, 2010. "All male prisoners on condemned status are housed at a maximum-security custody level in three units at San Quentin State Prison. Females are housed in a maximum-security unit at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla."
17. ^ "Death Row FAQ." (Archive) Colorado Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
18. ^ "Northern Correctional Institution." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
19. ^ "York Correctional Institution." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on November 9, 2010. "The York Correctional Institution is a high-security facility. It serves as the state's only institution for female offenders. It serves all superior courts in Connecticut and manages all pretrial and sentenced female offenders, whatever their security level."
20. ^ ^{a b} "Death Row Fact Sheet." Delaware Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
21. ^ ^{a b} "Death Row Fact Sheet." Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
22. ^ "Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison." Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on July 18, 2010.
23. ^ "Inmates Under Death Sentence January 1, 2010 Changes to UDS Population During 2009." Georgia Department of Corrections. 3/7. Retrieved on July 18, 2010.
24. ^ ^{a b} "DOC Report Online." Illinois Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
25. ^ Barrouquere, Brett. "Inmate challenges sedatives used in lethal injections Wilson also claims state doesn't provide enough information to inmates." The Harlan Daily Enterprise. November 24, 2007. Retrieved on September 8, 2010.
26. ^ "Kentucky State Penitentiary Prepares For 165th Execution." WLKY. Retrieved on September 8, 2010.
27. ^ "Life After Death Row." CBS News. April 25, 2010. Retrieved on August 16, 2010. "Rideau was sent to Louisiana's Angola Prison, where he spent a decade waiting to be executed."
28. ^ "Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women." Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
29. ^ Calvert, Scott and Kate Smith. "Death row inmates transferred to W. Maryland." The Baltimore Sun. June 25, 2010. Retrieved on September 22, 2010.
30. ^ ^{a b} "Division of Institutions State Prisons." Mississippi Department of Corrections. April 21, 2010. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
31. ^ Lombardi, George, Richard D. Sluder, and Donald Wallace. "The Management of Death-Sentenced Inmates: Issues, Realities, and Innovative Strategies." Missouri Department of Corrections. 8-9. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.
32. ^ "Organization." Nevada Department of Corrections. Retrieved on September 5, 2010.
33. ^ "Lone woman on Nevada's death row dies in prison." Associated Press at North County Times. January 31, 2005. Retrieved on September 5, 2010.
34. ^ ^{a b} "Repeal of Death Sentence Regulations (Section 103.45 of 7 NYCRR)." New York State Department of Correctional Services. Retrieved on September 2, 2010.
35. ^ ^{a b} "Death Row and Death Watch." North Carolina Department of Correction. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
36. ^ ^{a b c} "Ohio Death Row Inmates." Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Retrieved on September 2, 100.
37. ^ "Capital Punishment in Oregon." Oregon Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 24, 2010.
38. ^ ^{a b} "Death Penalty FAQ." Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. 2 (2/4). Retrieved on July 26, 2010.
39. ^ "Death Row/Capital Punishment." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010.
40. ^ "Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional Institution." South Carolina Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "The institution also functions as a major special management unit with the ability to house female death row inmates and county safekeepers."
41. ^ ^{a b c} "Death Row Facts." Tennessee Department of Correction. Retrieved on August 25, 2010.
42. ^ "West Livingston CDP, Texas." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
43. ^ ^{a b} "Death Row Facts." Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
44. ^ "Sussex I State Prison." Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 22, 2010.
45. ^ "DOC Appoints New Warden at Sussex I State Prison." Virginia Department of Corrections. March 9, 2006. Retrieved on August 22, 2010.
46. ^ "Virginia Death Row/Execution Facts." My FOX DC. Tuesday November 10, 2009. Retrieved on August 22, 2010.
47. ^ "Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (female institution)." Virginia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 22, 2010.
48. ^ ^{a b} "Capital Punishment in Washington State." Washington Department of Corrections. Retrieved on August 26, 2010.
49. ^ http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2011/10/04/death-row-move-to-chillicothe-frees-up-cells.html

External links

• "Death Row Inmates Pictures." AOL News
• "The Management of Death-Sentenced Inmates: Issues, Realities, and Innovative Strategies" - Missouri Department of Corrections
• Death Row Inmates Tony Medina
• Deathrow - The last resort