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State And Federal Info

Mississippi

History of the Death Penalty

From 1804-1940, all executions in Mississippi were carried out by hanging. The first execution by electrocution took place on October 11, 1940. From then until 1952, the electric chair was moved from county to county for 75 executions. Inmates were executed by lethal gas from 1954-1989. In 1984, the Mississippi legislature amended the state’s death penalty statute to provide for lethal injection for all individuals sentenced to death after the law went into effect. Inmates sentenced prior to the change were still executed by lethal gas. In 1998, lethal gas was removed as an option.

Notable Exonerations

Sabrina Butler was 17 years old when her 9-month old son, who had a heart murmur, stopped breathing. After attempts to resuscitate her son, Butler rushed to the hospital, where the young child was pronounced dead. The following day Butler was arrested for child abuse due to the bruises left by her resuscitation attempts. She was interrogated by the police and then prosecuted. Then, in 1990, she was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.

Her conviction was overturned by the Mississippi Supreme Court in 1992. (Butler v. State, 608 So.2d 314 (Miss. 1992)). The court said that the prosecution had failed to prove that the incident was anything more than an accident. At re-trial, she was acquitted on Dec. 17, 1995 after a very brief jury deliberation. It is now believed that the baby may have died either of cystic kidney disease or from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement

In 2011, a bill was introduced to impose a moratorium on executions. The bill did not pass the state legislature.

Other Interesting Facts

Mississippi was one of two states to use a portable electric chair, and the first state to do so.

Mississippi River. Photo by NSBP.
Mississippi River. Photo by NSBP.

Resources

  • Department of Corrections
  • Prosecutors
  • Mississippi Public Defenders Association
  • Victims’ services

Mississippi Execution Totals Since 1976

News & Developments


Innocence

Jan 12, 2021

Convicted by False Forensic Evidence, Eddie Lee Howard, Jr. Exonerated From Mississippi Death Row After 26 Years

Eddie Lee Howard, Jr., con­vict­ed and sen­tenced to death based on the false foren­sic tes­ti­mo­ny of a since dis­graced pros­e­cu­tion expert wit­ness, has been exon­er­at­ed after near­ly 26 years on Mississippi’s death row. …

Convicted by False Forensic Evidence, Eddie Lee Howard, Jr. Exonerated From Mississippi Death Row After 26 Years

Innocence

Oct 20, 2020

‘Keep Your Head Up and Don’t Give Up’ — Exoneree Curtis Flowers Gives an Illuminating First Interview to the In the Dark Podcast

In his first inter­view since his September 24, 2020 exon­er­a­tion, for­mer Mississippi death-row prison…

‘Keep Your Head Up and Don’t Give Up’ — Exoneree Curtis Flowers Gives an Illuminating First Interview to the In the Dark Podcast

United States Supreme Court

Oct 12, 2020

Capital Case Roundup — Death Penalty Court Decisions the Week of October 5, 2020

NEWS (10/​5/​20) — Washington, D.C.: The 2020 – 2021 U.S. Supreme Court term opened on October 5 with the Court declin­ing to review chal­lenges to more than 30 death-penal­ty court deci­sions. The only death-pen…

Innocence

Sep 08, 2020

Curtis Flowers Exonerated in Mississippi After Attorney General Drops All Charges

After six tri­als marred by pros­e­cu­to­r­i­al mis­con­duct and racial prej­u­dice, draw­ing a scathing rebuke from the U.S. Supreme Court, for­mer Mississippi death-row pris­on­er Curtis Flowers (pic­tured with the ankle monito…

Curtis Flowers Exonerated in Mississippi After Attorney General Drops All Charges

Innocence

Sep 01, 2020

Mississippi Supreme Court Grants New Trial to Eddie Howard, Sentenced to Death by Junk Bite-Mark Evidence

The Mississippi Supreme Court has grant­ed a new tri­al to death-row pris­on­er Eddie Lee Howard, Jr. (pic­tured), find­ing that the com­bi­na­tion of sci­en­tif­i­cal­ly invalid bite-mark evi­dence used to con­vict him and new DNA evi­dence entit…

Mississippi Supreme Court Grants New Trial to Eddie Howard, Sentenced to Death by Junk Bite-Mark Evidence

Innocence

Apr 15, 2020

Beginning April 15, Death Row Stories, Innocence Files to Feature Wrongful Death-Penalty Convictions

Beginning April 15, 2020, two tele­vi­sion series — one a new pro­gram from Netflix and the oth­er new episodes of a return­ing series from CNN — will high­light sto­ries of wrong­ful con­vic­tions, includ­ing some death-penal­ty cas­es. The new Netfl…

Beginning April 15, Death Row Stories, Innocence Files to Feature Wrongful Death-Penalty Convictions

Race

Jan 08, 2020

Controversial Mississippi Prosecutor Recuses Himself from Further Involvement in Curtis Flowers’ Case

After hav­ing been rebuked by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2019 for his pat­tern of racial­ly biased jury selec­tion in the cap­i­tal pros­e­cu­tions of 

Controversial Mississippi Prosecutor Recuses Himself from Further Involvement in Curtis Flowers’ Case

Innocence

Dec 16, 2019

Mississippi Judge Frees Curtis Flowers on Bail After Six Trials and 23 Years in Jail

A Mississippi tri­al judge has released Curtis Flowers on $250,000 bail, while pros­e­cu­tors decide whether to attempt to try him a sev­enth time for a quadru­ple mur­der he has long main­tained he did not com­mit. Flower…

Mississippi Judge Frees Curtis Flowers on Bail After Six Trials and 23 Years in Jail

Race

Nov 19, 2019

Civil Rights Groups File Class Action Lawsuit Against Mississippi Prosecutor Over Systemic Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection

Two civ­il rights orga­ni­za­tions have filed a class action law­suit against Mississippi pros­e­cu­tor Doug Evans (pic­tured) seek­ing an end to what they describe as a ​“pol­i­cy, cus­tom, and usage of racial­ly discriminatory…

Civil Rights Groups File Class Action Lawsuit Against Mississippi Prosecutor Over Systemic Racial Discrimination in Jury Selection

Race

Jun 21, 2019

Supreme Court Vacates Conviction in Mississippi Death Penalty Case Finding Race Discrimination in Jury Selection

Finding that a Mississippi pros­e­cu­tor had inten­tion­al­ly struck black jurors in an attempt to empan­el as white a jury as pos­si­ble, the United States Supreme Court has over­turned the con­vic­tion of death-row pris­on­er Curtis G…

Supreme Court Vacates Conviction in Mississippi Death Penalty Case Finding Race Discrimination in Jury Selection
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View Information by State

Additional Information


  • Death Penalty: Yes
  • Number of Executions Since 1976: 21
  • Number of Executions Before 1976 (may include federal and military executions): 351
  • Current Death Row Population: 42
  • Women on Death Row: 1
  • Number of Innocent Persons Freed From Death Row: 6
  • Number of Clemencies Granted: 0
  • Date of Reinstatement (following Furman v. Georgia): April 23, 1974
  • First Execution After Reinstatement: 1983
  • Location of Death Row (Men): Mississippi State Penitentiary
  • Location of Death Row (Women): Central Mississippi Correctional Facility
  • Capital: Jackson
  • Region: South
  • Population: 2,967,297
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 8.2
  • Is Life Without Parole an Option?: Yes
  • Can a defendant get death for a felony in which s/he was not responsible for the murder?: Yes
  • Method of Execution: Lethal Injection
  • How is the Sentence Determined?: Jury
  • Clemency Process: Governor has sole authority to grant clemency
  • Governor: Tate Reeves

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