State & Federal
Hawaii
History of the Death Penalty
Hawaii abolished the death penalty before it was granted statehood in 1959. There were 49 executions before abolition in the late 1800s and early 1900s, all of which were hangings for murder. Almost all of those executed were minorities such as Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino.
Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement
Hawaii abolished the death penalty in 1957.
Attempts to reinstate the death penalty have been presented to the state legislature over 15 times but have been unsuccessful.
Other Interesting Facts
In 2010, two Hawaiian prisoners killed another Hawaiian prisoner in one of the state’s mainland facilities in Arizona. The two faced the possibility of a death sentence despite the fact that they are Hawaiian prisoners, because the crime was committed in Arizona.
Na Pali Coast, Kauai. Photo by Julius Silver.
Resources
News & Developments
News
Oct 16, 2014
NEW RESOURCES: Podcast Series on Each State’s Death Penalty
DPIC has recently added four podcasts to our new series on important facts about the death penalty in each state. Seven state podcasts are now available: Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, Alaska, and Hawaii. We expect to add new episodes each week, with two more coming tomorow (Oct. 17). The series has begun with states that have abolished the death…
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Oct 12, 2011
INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES: Death Penalty Lessons from Asia
The Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus, recently featured an article entitled, “Death Penalty Lessons from Asia,” written by David T. Johnson and Franklin E. Zimring. The article is based in part on the authors’ book, The Next Frontier: National Development, Political Change, and the Death Penalty in Asia. Johnson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Hawaii. Zimring is the William G. Simon Professor…
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