News

Jurisdictions with no recent executions

By Death Penalty Information Center

Posted on Jan 05, 2011 | Updated on Sep 25, 2024

States No Exec10 2018 nov
States No Exec5 2018 oct

The entry below is a news item from 2011 that is not actively updated. For an updated list of jurisdictions with no recent executions, please click here.

Although the United States is con­sid­ered a death penal­ty coun­try, exe­cu­tions are rare or non-exis­tent in most of the nation: the major­i­ty of states31 out of 50—have either abol­ished the death penal­ty or have not car­ried out an exe­cu­tion in at least 10 years. An addi­tion­al 6 states have not had an exe­cu­tion in at least 5 years, for a total of 37 states with no exe­cu­tions in that time. Three addi­tion­al juris­dic­tions (the District of Columbia, the Federal Government, and the Military) have not had an exe­cu­tion in at least 10 years.

The tables below list the juris­dic­tions with no exe­cu­tions in many years (updat­ed July 12019):

31 states, plus 3 jurisdictions (District of Columbia, Federal Government, and Military), with no death penalty or no executions in at least 10 years

Jurisdictions with no death penalty Last Execution
1. Alaska Before 1976
2. Connecticut (1) May 132005
3. Delaware (16) April 202012
4. Hawaii Before 1976
5. Illinois (12) March 171999
6. Iowa Before 1976
7. Maine Before 1976
8. Maryland (5) December 52005
9. Massachusetts Before 1976
10. Michigan Before 1976
11. Minnesota Before 1976
12. New Hampshire*Before 1976
13. New Jersey Before 1976
14. New Mexico (1) November 62001
15. New York Before 1976
16. North Dakota Before 1976
17. Rhode Island Before 1976
18. Vermont Before 1976
19. Washington (5) Sept. 102010
20. West Virginia Before 1976
21. Wisconsin Before 1976
22. District of Columbia Before 1976
Jurisdictions with the death penalty Last Execution
23. California (13) January 172006
24. Colorado (1) October 131997
25. Kansas (0) Before 1976
26. Kentucky (3) November 212008
27. Montana (3) August 112006
28. Nevada (12) April 262006
29. North Carolina (43) August 182006
30. Oregon (2) May 161997
31. Pennsylvania (3) July 61999
32. Wyoming (1) January 221992
33. U.S. Federal Government (3) March 182003
34. U.S. Military (0) Before 1976

37 states, plus 3 jurisdictions, with no death penalty or no executions in at least 5 years

Jurisdictions with no death penalty Last Execution
1. Alaska Before 1976
2. Connecticut (1) May 132005
3. Delaware (16) April 202012
4. Hawaii Before 1976
5. Illinois (12) March 171999
6. Iowa Before 1976
7. Maine Before 1976
8. Maryland (5) December 52005
9. Massachusetts Before 1976
10. Michigan Before 1976
11. Minnesota Before 1976
12. New Hampshire*Before 1976
13. New Jersey Before 1976
14. New Mexico (1) November 62001
15. New York Before 1976
16. North Dakota Before 1976
17. Rhode Island Before 1976
18. Vermont Before 1976
19. Washington (5) Sept. 102010
20. West Virginia Before 1976
21. Wisconsin Before 1976
22. District of Columbia Before 1976
Jurisdictions with the death penalty Last Execution
23. California (13) January 172006
24. Colorado (1) October 131997
25. Idaho (3) June 122012
26. Indiana (20) December 112009
27. Kansas (0) Before 1976
28. Kentucky (3) November 212008
29. Louisiana (28) Jan. 72010
30. Montana (3) August 112006
31. Mississippi (21) June 202012
32. Nevada (12) April 262006
33. North Carolina (43) August 182006
34. Oregon (2) May 161997
35. Pennsylvania (3) July 61999
36. South Carolina (43) May 62011
37. Utah (7) June 182010
38. Wyoming (1) January 221992
39. U.S. Federal Government (3) March 182003
40. U.S. Military (0) Before 1976

Number in paren­the­ses indi­cates total exe­cu­tions since 1976.

* New Hampshire abol­ished the death penal­ty in May 2019 but still has one per­son on death row.

(DPIC, map as of October 29, 2018). See DPIC’s 2018 Year End Report. See also Executions and Executions by County.

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