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State And Federal Info

Hawaii

History of the Death Penalty

Hawaii abolished the death penalty before it was granted statehood in 1959. There were 49 executions before abolition in the late 1800s and early 1900s, all of which were hangings for murder. Almost all of those executed were minorities such as Native Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, or Filipino.

Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement

Hawaii abolished the death penalty in 1957.

Attempts to reinstate the death penalty have been presented to the state legislature over 15 times but have been unsuccessful.

Other Interesting Facts

In 2010, two Hawaiian prisoners killed another Hawaiian prisoner in one of the state’s mainland facilities in Arizona. The two faced the possibility of a death sentence despite the fact that they are Hawaiian prisoners, because the crime was committed in Arizona.

Na Pali Coast, Kauai. Photo by Julius Silver.
Na Pali Coast, Kauai. Photo by Julius Silver.

Resources

  • Department of Corrections
  • Prosecutors
  • Public defender’s office
  • ACLU of Hawaii
  • Victims’ services

News & Developments


History of the Death Penalty

Oct 16, 2014

NEW RESOURCES: Podcast Series on Each State’s Death Penalty

DPIC has recent­ly added four pod­casts to our new series on impor­tant facts about the death penal­ty in each state. Seven state pod­casts are now avail­able: Michigan, 

NEW RESOURCES: Podcast Series on Each State's Death Penalty

International

Oct 12, 2011

INTERNATIONAL RESOURCES: Death Penalty Lessons from Asia

The Asia-Pacific Journal, Japan Focus, recent­ly fea­tured an arti­cle enti­tled, ​“Death Penalty Lessons from Asia,” writ­ten by David T. Johnson and Franklin E. Zimring. The arti­cle is based …

View More

View Information by State

Additional Information


  • Death Penalty: No
  • Number of Executions Since 1976: 0
  • Number of Executions Before 1976 (may include federal and military executions): 49
  • Current Death Row Population: 0
  • Women on Death Row: 0
  • Number of Innocent People Freed From Death Row: 0
  • Number of Clemencies Granted: 0
  • Date of Reinstatement (following Furman v. Georgia): N/A
  • Date of Abolition: 1957
  • Location of Death Row/Executions: N/A
  • Capital: Honolulu
  • Region: West
  • Population: 1,455,271*
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 3.39
  • Is Life Without Parole an Option?: Yes
  • Method of Execution: N/A
  • Clemency Process: N/A
  • Governor: Josh Green

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