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State And Federal Info

New Hampshire

Famous Capital Cases

Ruth Blay, executed in 1768, was the last woman executed in New Hampshire. She was accused of allegedly killing her stillborn child — a crime of which she was exonerated shortly after her execution. A play was made about her death and a popular song recognizing her innocence was sung locally in the Portsmouth area for many years.

Thomas Powers was executed in 1796 for rape. He was the only African American man ever executed in New Hampshire and the only person ever executed in NH for a crime other than murder.

Milestones in Abolition/Reinstatement

New Hampshire has executed 26 people in its history. The last execution was in 1939.

Howard Long was put to death in July of 1939. The rope used to hang him is still retained on display in the Belknap County Sheriff’s office.

A bill to abolish the death penalty was passed by the House and Senate in 2000. The bills were vetoed by Governor Jeanne Shaheen.

In 2004, as part of a national campaign to end the death penalty for juvenile offenders, a bill banning the execution of those convicted of killing while under the age of 18 passed the House and Senate. It was vetoed by Governor Craig Benson. The next year the same bill was reintroduced and passed again. It was signed by Governor John Lynch.

In 2009, an abolition bill passed the House and was then amended in the Senate to create a study commission on the death penalty. Governor Lynch signed that bill and the commission met for a year and issued a report in December 2010.

In April 2018, the House and Senate again voted to abolish the death penalty. Governor Chris Sununu vetoed the bill on June 21, 2018.

In 2019, the legislature again voted to abolish the death penalty, Governor Sununu vetoed the bill. On May 30, 2019, the legislature completed its repeal of the state’s death-penalty statute, voting to override the veto. The repeal was not retroactive, leaving one person on the state’s death row.

New Hampshire “Firsts”

For many years, New Hampshire had the most restrictive death penalty in the country. It applied only in cases of homicide or treason.

In 1834, New Hampshire’s Governor Badger was one of the nation’s first to call for abolition of the death penalty as part of the gallows movement.

Other Interesting Facts

New Hampshire still retains a narrow death penalty statute, which only applies in six specific circumstances.

New Hampshire does not currently have a death chamber. In 2010, the Department of Corrections estimated that building an execution chamber would cost about $1.7 million, but the legislature has not authorized funds to build it.

Old Man of the Mountain
Old Man of the Mountain

Resources

  • New Hampshire Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
  • Department of Corrections
  • Public Defender’s office
  • Victims’ services

New Hampshire Execution Totals Since 1976

News & Developments


Victims' Families

Jul 03, 2019

New Podcast: New Hampshire Rep. Renny Cushing on Empowering Crime Survivors and Repealing the Death Penalty

“Being the sur­vivor of a homi­cide vic­tim has a pain for which there aren’t any words,” says New Hampshire Representative Renny Cushing (pic­tured), in the lat­est episode of the Death Penalty Information Center podcast, 

New Podcast: New Hampshire Rep. Renny Cushing on Empowering Crime Survivors and Repealing the Death Penalty

Recent Legislative Activity

May 30, 2019

New Hampshire Becomes 21st State to Abolish Death Penalty

Overriding a veto by Governor Chris Sununu, the New Hampshire leg­is­la­ture has repealed the state’s death-penal­ty statute. With a 16 – 8 super­ma­jor­i­ty, the May 30, 2019 vote of the…

New Hampshire Becomes 21st State to Abolish Death Penalty

Deterrence

May 03, 2019

New Hampshire Governor Again Vetoes Bill to Repeal State’s Death Penalty

For the sec­ond time in as many years, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (pic­tured, left) has vetoed a bill to repeal the state’s death penal­ty. Sununu’s actio…

New Hampshire Governor Again Vetoes Bill to Repeal State’s Death Penalty

Recent Legislative Activity

Apr 12, 2019

New Hampshire Senate Passes Death-Penalty Repeal With Veto-Proof Majority

In a vote death-penal­ty oppo­nents praised as ​“his­toric,” a veto-proof super­ma­jor­i­ty of the New Hampshire leg­is­la­ture gave final approval to a bill that would repeal the state’s death penal­ty statute. By a vote of 17 – 6, the sen­a­tors vot­ed on April …

New Hampshire Senate Passes Death-Penalty Repeal With Veto-Proof Majority

Recent Legislative Activity

Mar 08, 2019

Veto-Proof Majority of New Hampshire House Votes to Repeal State’s Death Penalty

By an over­whelm­ing 279 – 88 mar­gin, a veto-proof major­i­ty of the New Hampshire House of Representatives vot­ed on March 7, 2019 to repeal the state’s death penal­ty. Demonstrating strong bipar­ti­san sup­port that gar­nered the back­ing of 56 more l…

Veto-Proof Majority of New Hampshire House Votes to Repeal State’s Death Penalty

Recent Legislative Activity

Feb 19, 2019

Death-Penalty Repeal Efforts Across U.S. Spurred by Growing Conservative Support

Bills to repeal and replace the death penal­ty with non-cap­i­tal pun­ish­ments have gained new trac­tion across the United States in 2019 as a result of oppo­si­tion to the death penal­ty among ide­o­log­i­cal­ly con­ser­v­a­tive leg­is­la­tors. That move­ment – buoye…

Death-Penalty Repeal Efforts Across U.S. Spurred by Growing Conservative Support

Arbitrariness

Feb 19, 2019

Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, New Hampshire House of Representatives: Testimony on HB 455–Changing the penalty for capital murder to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole

Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, New Hampshire House of Representatives: Testimony on HB 455 – Changing the penal­ty for …

Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, New Hampshire House of Representatives: Testimony on HB 455–Changing the penalty for capital murder to life imprisonment without the possibility for parole

Recent Legislative Activity

Dec 26, 2018

After Mid-Term Elections, Legislators Poised to Renew Efforts at Death-Penalty Abolition in 2019

Empowered by the results of the November 2018 mid-term elec­tions, leg­is­la­tures in at least four states are poised to renew efforts to repeal their states’ death-penal­ty statutes or dras­ti­cal­ly reduce the cir­cum­stances in which cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment i…

After Mid-Term Elections, Legislators Poised to Renew Efforts at Death-Penalty Abolition in 2019

Public Opinion

Nov 07, 2018

2018 Midterm Elections: Governors in Moratorium States Re-Elected, Controversial California D.A. Ousted

The results of the November 6, 2018 mid-term elec­tions reflect­ed America’s deeply divid­ed views on cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment, as vot­ers elect­ed gov­er­nors who pledged not to resume exe­cu­tions in the three states with death-penal­ty mora­to­ri­ums, defeat­ed an…

2018 Midterm Elections: Governors in Moratorium States Re-Elected, Controversial California D.A. Ousted

Recent Legislative Activity

Jun 22, 2018

Governor Vetoes New Hampshire Death-Penalty Repeal Bill

New Hampshire Governor Christopher Sununu (pic­tured) has vetoed a bill that would have abol­ished the state’s death penal­ty. Surrounded by law enforce­ment office…

Governor Vetoes New Hampshire Death-Penalty Repeal Bill
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): 24
  • Current Death Row Population: 1
  • 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): January 1, 1991
  • Date of Abolition: May 30, 2019
  • Location of Death Row/Executions: New Hampshire's one death row prisoner is housed at the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord. New Hampshire does not have a death chamber.
  • Capital: Concord
  • Region: Northeast
  • Population: 1,316,470
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 1
  • Is Life Without Parole an Option?: Yes
  • Method of Execution: Lethal Injection (Hanging if lethal injection is not possible)
  • Clemency Process: Governor has sole authority to grant clemency
  • Governor: Chris Sununu

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