State & Federal
Maine
Notable Cases
Jeremiah Baum, executed in 1780, was put to death for treason. This is the only execution in Maine for a crime other than murder.
Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement
In 1876 the legislature of Maine abolished the death penalty by a vote of 75 to 68.
In 1883 the death penalty was reestablished in Maine.
Maine abolished the death penalty for a second time in 1887. The movement toward abolition was driven by a botched execution in 1885. Due to a poorly-tied hangman’s noose, Daniel Wilkinson died slowly of strangulation. Wilkinson’s execution was the last in Maine.
A bill was introduced in 1925 to reinstate the death penalty in Maine, but no legislative action was taken on it. Another attempt to reinstate the death penalty occurred in 1937, but once again no legislative action was taken on the bill. Further attempts to reinstate the death penalty occurred in the Maine legislature in 1973, 1975, 1977 and 1979 but all of them were defeated.
Other Interesting Facts
The first execution in Maine took place in 1644.
York Harbor. Photo by NSBP.
Resources
- Department of Corrections
- ACLU of Maine
- Prosecutors
- Maine Commission on Indigent Legal Services (Maine has no public defender’s office)
- Victims’ services
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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Aug 29, 2014
NEW RESOURCES: Podcasts on Individual States
DPIC is beginning a new series of podcasts based on the history of the death penalty in each state. The series will first present the states that have ended the death penalty. Three podcasts, featuring Michigan, Wisconsin, and Maine, are now available. These short audio clips summarize the history surrounding the repeal of the death penalty in those states, including famous cases, issues that spurred legislators to take action, and subsequent…
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