An updated version of the “Espy File,” a database of executions in the United States and the earlier colonies from 1608 to 2002, is now available on DPIC’s Web site. This resource provides detailed information about each of the 15,269 executions recorded during this period and offers a unique glimpse into the history of the death penalty in the U.S. For example, about 15% of those executed received the death penalty for crimes other than murder, including 277 who were executed for slave revolt and 20 people who were given the death penalty for aiding a runaway slave. In addition, the database includes the names of individuals who were executed for crimes such as piracy (130), horse stealing (51), treason (43), desertion (40), witchcraft (35 - mostly women), counterfeiting (29), adultery (2), and concealing birth (4).

The Espy File also provides an interesting look into the methods of execution that have been used in the U.S. Since the first execution in 1608 by shooting, the country has used nearly a dozen different execution methods. Among those methods are the more commonly known methods of hanging (9,324), electrocution (4,484), lethal injection (620), gas (593), and firing squad (142). Others executed during the past 400 years have been killed by bludgeoning (2), broken on a wheel (12), burned (66), and pressed with stones (1).

The “Espy File” was compiled by M. Watt Espy and John Ortiz Smylka. It was made available through the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. The database contains the name, age and race of each person executed, as well as details such as the date of the execution and what method of execution was used. DPIC has adapted this information for easier use and has sorted the list in separate files by state, by year, and by name of defendant. This information, including a downloadable Excel spreadsheet of the Espy File, is available on DPIC’s Web site. It may also be found (in its original form requiring a statistical analysis program) on the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data’s Web site.
(Posted July 26, 2007). See DPIC’s Web Page on The Espy File. See also, Executions and Resources.

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