Alaska

Famous Cases

Nelson Charles, an Alaskan Native, was the first per­son exe­cut­ed in Juneau. He was hanged in 1939 for mur­der­ing his moth­er-in-law, and was the only man hanged in Alaska for the mur­der of a woman. Read a full descrip­tion of the Charles case here.

Milestones in Abolition/​Reinstatement

The abo­li­tion mea­sure passed by the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1957 stat­ed sim­ply: ​“The death penal­ty is and shall here­after be abol­ished as pun­ish­ment in Alaska for the com­mis­sion of any crime.”

Other Interesting Facts

Alaska as a state has nev­er had a death penal­ty. The Territorial Legislature abol­ished cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment two years before Alaska gained statehood.

Prior to 1899, min­er’s courts han­dled legal mat­ters in Alaska. Seven peo­ple are esti­mat­ed to have been exe­cut­ed under that system.

There were only eight legal exe­cu­tions in Alaska between 1900 and 1957. Two of the men hanged were white, three were Alaska Natives, two were black and one was an immi­grant from Montenegro. Records before 1900 are poor, but it is believed that a total of sev­en per­sons were hanged in ter­ri­to­r­i­al Alaska from 1869 to 1900.

Resources

• Department of Corrections
• Prosecutors
• Public Defender’s office
• Alaskans Against the Death Penalty
• Victims’ ser­vices
• University of Alaska Anchorage Justice Center: Focus on the Death Penalty (archived)