--- title: Alabama description: 'Alabama has always been an active death penalty state, ranked 7th in number of executions in the modern death penalty era, and has a long history of…' canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/state-and-federal-info/state-by-state/alabama' section: statePages date: '2017-10-12T13:52:00-04:00' updated: '2026-10-02T19:31:18-04:00' source: 'Death Penalty Information Center' --- **Overview** ------------ Alabama has always been an active death penalty state, ranked 7th in number of executions in the modern death penalty era, and has a long history of racial violence and lynching before executions became legal. Alabama is one of only two states that still allow non-unanimous death sentences—just 10 out of 12 votes are required to impose a sentence of death. Until 2017, Alabama also permitted judicial override, which allowed the trial judge to override the capital jury's sentencing recommendation. The vast majority of judicial override cases (101 of 112) resulted in the imposition of a death sentence over the jury’s recommendation of life. In deciding to abolish the practice, the legislature chose not to make the law retroactive, thus offering no relief [to the 20 percent](https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/alabama/articles/2017-04-04/alabama-house-to-vote-on-ending-judicial-override) of death-sentenced individuals at the time whose juries had recommended life sentences for them. Alabama authorizes three methods of execution: lethal injection, electrocution, and nitrogen gas. All methods have resulted in notable botches. From 1927 to 2002, Alabama’s electric chair caused flames to spark from the chair during executions. Alabama’s 2022 execution of Joe James by lethal injection holds the record for longest botched execution in the U.S., lasting three hours. After three botched lethal injection execution attempts in 2022, Alabama added nitrogen gas as a method, and was the first state to use it, in the [execution of Kenneth Smith](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-schedules-a-second-execution-for-kenneth-smith-using-nitrogen-gas-for-the-first-time-in-u-s-history) on January 25, 2024. [Supporters](https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-nitrogen-hypoxia-gas-execution-efafd08559c1bf876e2f7903305ca13c) promised that the method would be painless and quick, but [oppo](https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-nitrogen-hypoxia-gas-execution-efafd08559c1bf876e2f7903305ca13c)nents characterized it as “[human experimentation](https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-nitrogen-hypoxia-gas-execution-efafd08559c1bf876e2f7903305ca13c).” Witnesses to nitrogen gas executions reported seeing prisoners shake and writhe, noting that prisoners appeared to be in [pain and distress](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-federal-judges-block-state-from-using-nitrogen-gas-to-execute-jeffery-lee). In June 2026, [the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-federal-judges-block-state-from-using-nitrogen-gas-to-execute-jeffery-lee) upheld a federal district court ruling that Alabama’s nitrogen gas protocol violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Execution by nitrogen gas ultimately results in death by suffocation when an individual breathes pure nitrogen, depriving the body and vital organs of oxygen. The Alabama Department of Corrections has maintained that its execution protocol [is confidential and outside the purview of a public records request](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution/state-by-state-execution-protocols). In 2019, in response to a suit brought by media representatives, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit [required Alabama to publicly disclose critical components of its execution protocol](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-court-orders-alabama-to-release-execution-protocol). The portions of protocol addressing execution procedures for lethal injection and nitrogen gas are heavily redacted. 50% The percentage of people sentenced to death who are Black, as of 2025. 75% The percentage of cases where a judge overrode a jury'slife sentencing recommendation that involved a white victim. 82% The percentage of people executed as of 2025, whose cases involved a white victim. ![Alabama Death Sentences by Year (Line chart)](https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/x7UyT/full.png) - Overview - 1812 - 1927 - 1932 - 1972 - 1976 - 1983 - 2002 - March 2011 - May 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2017 - February 2018 - March 2018 - 2019 - July 2022 - November 2022 - 2023 Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline Overview View Alabama’s history with the death penalty. This timeline details some of its most consequential moments. Swipe to learn more. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 1812 Eli Norman is hung for murder, marking the first known legal execution in Alabama. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 1927 Alabama replaces hanging with electrocution as its method of execution. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 1932 The U.S. Supreme Court in *Powell v. Alabama* recognizes the Sixth Amendment right to counsel in capital cases. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 1972 The U.S. Supreme Court invalidates the death penalty in *Furman v. Georgia.* Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 1976 The Alabama legislature passes a new death penalty statute the same year the U.S. Supreme Court reauthorizes use of the death penalty in *Gregg v. Georgia.* Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 1983 John Evans III is the first person executed in Alabama after *Gregg*. He was executed in an electric chair nicknamed “Yellow Mama” that was constructed by a prisoner in 1927. Eyewitnesses [reported](https://alabamareflector.com/2023/09/04/alabamas-experiment-with-death/) that flames sparked from his chair, behind his mask, and his knee during the initial attempt at execution, after which doctors had still found a heartbeat. Executioners had to send two more currents to kill Mr. Evans. His attorney said, “He was burned alive.” Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 2002 [Lynda Lyon Block is executed](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/data/executions?state=Alabama&federal=No&sort=method/asc), the last person to be executed by electric chair in the state. While lethal injection became the state’s default execution method, Alabama continues to allow prisoners to elect electrocution. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline March 2011 [Courtney Lockhart](https://www.aclutx.org/news/how-did-lifelong-prison-sentence-iraq-vet-turn-imminent-death-sentence/), an Iraqi veteran, is the last individual to have a death sentence imposed by a judge before the law was changed to prohibit [judicial override](https://eji.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/death-penalty-in-alabama-judge-override.pdf). He had received a unanimous life sentenced recommendation from his jury. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline May 2011 Alabama executes [Jason Williams](https://eji.org/news/alabama-executes-jason-williams-despite-dea-seizure-of-execution-drugs/) using an undisclosed combination of drugs after the DEA seized its supply of sodium thiopental, one of three drugs used in used in Alabama’s lethal injection protocol. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 2012 The U.S. Supreme Court holds that mandatory life without parole sentences for children 17 or younger convicted of homicide are unconstitutional in [*Miller v. Alabama*](https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/567/460/) and its companion case, *Jackson v. Hobbs.* Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 2013 The Alabama House of Representatives votes unanimously on a bill to posthumously pardon the “Scottsboro Boys.” In 1931, the nine Black teenagers were wrongfully convicted for the rape of two white women. Eight of them were sentenced to death. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 2017 Governor Kay Ivey signs SB 16 into law, ending judicial override in future capital cases. Governor Ivey also signs into law the “[Fair Justice Act](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-governor-signs-law-shortening-death-penalty-appeals),” designed to shorten the state death-penalty appeals process. The law restricts the amount of time death-sentenced prisoners are permitted to file appeals, imposes time limits for judges to rule on appeals, and requires prisoners to pursue their direct appeal and post-conviction appeal simultaneously, including potentially raising claims of appellate counsel’s ineffectiveness while appellate counsel is still handling the appeal. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline February 2018 Alabama officials botch the attempted execution of Doyle Hamm, a terminally ill death-sentenced prisoner. The execution team spends nearly [two and a half hours](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/three-controversial-executions-turn-into-a-commutation-an-execution-and-an-execution-failure) attempting to insert an IV to administer the lethal injection drugs, puncturing Mr. Hamm’s bladder and femoral artery, resulting in severe bleeding. The execution was called off after the corrections commissioner stated that prison personnel did not have “sufficient time” to find a suitable vein before the death warrant expired. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline March 2018 The Alabama legislature authorizes the use of [nitrogen gas](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/use-of-nitrogen-hypoxia-for-alabama-executions-could-endanger-spiritual-advisors-and-prison-staff-in-the-execution-chamber) as a method of execution. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 2019 A [unanimous decision](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/federal-court-orders-alabama-to-release-execution-protocol) from the [U.S. Court of Appeals](https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AlabamaDPProtocol-11CA.pdf) for the Eleventh Circuit requires that Alabama officials publicly disclose critical components of its highly secretive lethal injection execution procedure. The ruling comes after the Associated Press, the Montgomery Advertiser, and Alabama Media Group sued for access to the protocol, which came under intense scrutiny in the wake of Alabama’s failed attempt to execute Doyle Lee Hamm. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline July 2022 Alabama carries out the longest botched lethal injection execution in U.S. history, taking three hours to execute [Joe James](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-execution-of-joe-nathan-james-marred-by-failures-to-set-iv-line-embarrassing-dress-code-controversy-and-disrespect-of-victims-family). Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline November 2022 Governor Kay Ivey [temporarily halts all executions](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-governor-halts-executions-after-latest-in-series-of-execution-failures) after a series of botched executions, including those of Kenneth Smith, Joe James, and Alan Miller. Governor Ivey calls for the Alabama Department of Corrections to carry out an internal review of the state’s execution protocol and procedures. A report of the review was never released to the public. Governor Ivey [authorized the resumption of executions](https://www.apr.org/news/2023-02-25/alabama-to-resume-executing-death-row-inmates) on February 24, 2023. Alabama's Death Penalty Timeline 2023 The Alabama Supreme Court eliminates automatic [plain error review](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/alabama-court-removes-key-appeal-protection-for-death-sentenced-defendants) for trial errors in death penalty cases on direct appeal. - Overview - The Scottsboro Boys - Charles Lee Bufford - Anthony Ray Hinton - Walter McMillian - Darrell B. Grayson - Dominique Ray Notable Cases Overview Swipe to see some of Alabama’s most notable death penalty cases. Notable Cases The Scottsboro Boys In 1931, nine Black boys were arrested and charged with raping two white girls. **Haywood Patterson**, **Olen Montgomery**, **Clarence Norris**, **Willie Roberson**, **Andy Wright**, **Ozzie Powell**, **Eugene Williams**, **Charley Weems,** and **Roy Wright** were tried in Scottsboro, Alabama, and they became known as the **Scottsboro Boys**. All-white juries quickly sentenced eight of the boys to death. In *Powell v. Alabama* (1932), the U.S. Supreme Court ordered new trials for the teenagers after finding a constitutional right to the assistance of counsel in capital cases. After numerous retrials, only one of the boys was resentenced to death; his sentence was later commuted to life in prison. One of the accusers later recanted her testimony and denied that she and her companion had been raped. In 2013, The Alabama House of Representatives voted unanimously to posthumously pardon the Scottsboro Boys. They spent decades in prison before being released. Notable Cases Charles Lee Bufford **Charles Lee Bufford** was convicted and sentenced to death in 1978 for the robbery-murder of former state senator and Wilcox County probate judge Roland Cooper. Mr. Bufford, who was serving a short sentence in the county jail for auto theft, was working on the Cooper residence through an unofficial work release policy that allowed for private citizens to “check out” prisoners for the purpose of manual labor. After his conviction, Mr. Bufford was granted a new trial. Upon retrial, the defense questioned a police officer about the destruction of a handwritten version of Mr. Bufford’s statement and argued that key portions of the statement had been left out. After two-hours of deliberation, a Wilcox County jury acquitted Mr. Bufford of all charges on November 12, 1981, and he was released. Notable Cases Anthony Ray Hinton **Anthony Ray Hinton** was convicted of the 1985 murders of two fast-food restaurant managers based upon the testimony of a state forensic examiner that the bullets in the two murders came from a gun found in Mr. Hinton’s house. Mr. Hinton was sentenced to death after a 10-2 recommendation for death by the jury. Mr. Hinton was arrested after a victim in a similar crime identified him in a photo lineup, even though Mr. Hinton had been working in a locked warehouse 15 miles away when that crime was committed. Mr. Hinton’s lawyer did not know the law and mistakenly believed that funding to hire a qualified firearms expert was not available. Instead, he hired an expert he knew to be inadequate, and as a result failed to present any credible evidence to rebut the state’s claim that the bullets were fired from Mr. Hinton’s gun. In 2002, three top firearms examiners testified that the bullets could not be matched to Mr. Hinton’s gun and may not even have come from the same gun. The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously held that Mr. Hinton had received effective assistance of counsel and returned his case to the state courts for further proceedings. Prosecutors decided not to retry him after the state’s new experts said they could not link the bullets to Mr. Hinton’s gun. Anthony Ray Hinton was released from prison in 2018 and is now an activist. In 2018, he published his memoir, *The Sun Does Shine: How I* Found L*ife and Freedom on Death Row*. Notable Cases Walter McMillian **Walter McMillian**, a Black man, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1988 for the murder of a young white woman who worked as a clerk in a dry-cleaning store in Monroeville, Alabama. His trial lasted only a day and a half. Multiple alibi witnesses testified that Mr. McMillian was at a church fish fry at the time of the crime. The jury recommended life without parole, but the trial judge overrode the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Mr. McMillian to death. The [Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)](https://eji.org/cases/walter-mcmillian/) represented Mr. McMillian on appeal, arguing the State’s witnesses had lied on the stand and the prosecution had illegally suppressed exculpatory evidence. Mr. McMillian's conviction was overturned in 1993, and he was released after prosecutors agreed to drop charges. Notable Cases Darrell B. Grayson **Darrell B. Grayson**, a Black man, was convicted in 1981 by an all-white jury for the murder of a white woman. Twenty years later, the Innocence Project sought DNA testing in the case, saying that testing not available at the time of Mr. Grayson’s original trial might prove him innocent. Requests for new testing were denied, and Mr. Grayson was executed on July 26, 2007. Notable Cases Dominique Ray **Dominique Ray** was executed February 2, 2019, without his chosen religious advisor present. Alabama’s execution protocol mandated that the prison chaplain — and no other religious adviser — be present in the execution chamber, but the state employed only Christian chaplains. Mr. Ray, who was Muslim, requested that an imam be allowed in the execution chamber. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals initially stayed his execution, but in a 5 – 4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted this stay and allowed Mr. Ray’s execution to proceed without addressing the constitutional concerns at issue, citing the untimeliness of his claim. - Overview - John Evans - Doyle Lee Hamm - Joe James - Torrey McNabb - Anthony Boyd Notable Botched Executions Overview Alabama executions have often had problems, and some have been botched. Swipe to view some notable cases. To learn more about these cases and about botched executions in general, visit [Botched Executions](https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executions). Notable Botched Executions John Evans On April 22, 1983, Alabama executed **John Evans** using an electric chair. After the first jolt of electricity, sparks and flames erupted from the electrode attached to Mr. Evans’s leg. The electrode burst from the strap holding it in place and caught on fire. Smoke and sparks were also observed in the vicinity of Mr. Evans’s left temple. Two physicians entered the chamber and found that Mr. Evans still had a heartbeat. After two more jolts of electricity were administered, he was declared dead 14 minutes later. Notable Botched Executions Doyle Lee Hamm On February 22, 2018, Alabama botched the attempted execution of **Doyle Lee Hamm**. Mr. Hamm’s counsel warned the state that it would be impossible to find a vein for lethal injection because he suffered from advanced lymphatic cancer and carcinoma. For 2.5 hours, the executioners tried to find a vein, leaving Mr. Hamm with multiple puncture wounds, including six in his groin and others that punctured his bladder and penetrated his femoral artery. The execution was called off as the attempt approached a midnight deadline. Notable Botched Executions Joe James On July 28, 2022, Alabama executed **Joe James**, the longest botched lethal injection execution since the method was introduced in the US in 1982, with a total estimated time of 3 to 3 ½ hours. His autopsy revealed a “lengthy and painful” execution, noting unexplained puncture wounds, bleeding, and bruising. A doctor who attended the execution said that the prison staff who carried out the execution was “unqualified for the task in the most dramatic way.” Notable Botched Executions Torrey McNabb On October 19, 2017, Alabama executed **Torrey McNabb** using lethal injection. It took thirty-five minutes, with Mr. McNabb moving and rolling his head back and forth after the drugs were administered, indicating that he may have remained conscious. Notable Botched Executions Anthony Boyd On October 23, 2025, Alabama executed **Anthony Boyd**, the eighth person in the U.S. executed using nitrogen gas. His execution took more than 30 minutes, during which Mr. Boyd repeatedly convulsed and heaved, gasping for air 200 times. **Resources** ------------- - [American Bar Association Alabama Death Penalty Assessment Report](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/projects/death_penalty_due_process_review_project/state_death_penalty_assessments/alabama.html) - [Equal Justice Initiative ](https://eji.org/) - [Alabama Department of Corrections](http://www.doc.state.al.us/) - [Alabama Department of Correction list of current death-sentenced prisoners](https://doc.alabama.gov/DeathRow.aspx)