---
title: 'Conditions on Death Row'
subtitle: 'Death-row prisoners are typically incarcerated in solitary confinement, subject to much more deprivation and harsher conditions than other prisoners. As a result, many experience declining mental health.'
description: 'Death-row prisoners are typically incarcerated in solitary confinement, subject to much more deprivation and harsher conditions than other prisoners. As a…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-row/conditions-on-death-row'
section: topics
date: '2017-11-28T21:27:00-05:00'
updated: '2025-04-02T12:05:40-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

Overview
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As the time between sentencing and execution in the U.S. has lengthened from a few years to decades, the conditions of confinement for death row prisoners have come under closer scrutiny. Some Supreme Court Justices have raised constitutional concerns about the physical and psychological effects of being held for extensive time in solitary confinement, separate from challenges to the death penalty itself. Many legal experts in the U.S. and internationally have concluded that prolonged isolation is a form of cruel and unusual punishment, comparable to torture.

Many death row prisoners suffer from mental illness, and research indicates that the isolation on death row exacerbates mental health conditions. Older inmates also suffer from increasing physical disabilities that often complicate their executions.

At Issue
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The issue of extensive time on death row presents a dilemma: If death penalty appeals are rushed through the system, it might lessen the time spent on death row, but more innocent people will be executed and grave injustices will remain undiscovered and uncorrected. A thorough review of each case, with an openness to retrial upon the emergence of new evidence, has the side effect of keeping prisoners in degrading conditions for twenty years or more.

What DPI Offers
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DPI provides summaries of the conditions and rules governing prisoners on death row in each state. It also tracks the amount of time that prisoners spend under these conditions. Finally, DPI collects the important court decisions related to this issue.