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State And Federal Info

Tennessee

Famous Capital Cases

Philip Workman

Workman was executed in 2007 for the death of police officer Ronald Oliver, though later ballistics evidence suggested that the bullet that killed Oliver did not match Workman’s gun, and may have come from the gun of another officer on the scene.

Pervis Payne

Payne’s case resulted in the Supreme Court decision Payne v. Tennessee (1991), which allowed victim impact statements to be heard in the sentencing phase of a trial. Payne was removed from death row in 2021 on evidence of his intellectual disability.

Notable Exonerations

Paul Gregory House

Charges against House were dropped in 2009 after he spent 23 years on death row and his case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Notable Commutations/Clemencies

Gaile Owens

Governor Phil Bredesen commuted her sentence to life in 2010 after she served for over 20 years for hiring someone to kill her husband. Owens was willing to plead guilty for a life sentence at trial, but because her co-defendant would not, the plea bargain was rescinded.

In 1965, Governor Frank Clement commuted the sentences of everyone on Tennessee’s death row after an abolition bill was defeated by one vote.

Milestones in Abolition Efforts

Tennessee had a study committee in 2007-2009 that recommended changes to the current structure, but not abolition.

Executive moratorium in 2007 for 90 days while lethal injection protocol was examined.

In 1965, Tennessee’s Senate voted to repeal the death penalty and repeal only lost in the House by one vote.

Tennessee was one of the first four states to exclude those with intellectual disabilities from the death penalty, doing so in 1990.

Tennessee only resumed executing people in 2000. The state went from 1960-2000 with no executions.

Tennessee “Firsts”

In 1838, Tennessee became the first state to give juries discretion in sentencing those convicted of murder, turning away from the traditional mandatory death sentence.

During the Progressive era (1890’s-1920’s), Tennessee was the only former Confederate state to legislatively abolish execution for murder. The 1915 bill was vetoed by the governor, but went into effect because his veto came too late. In 1919, the death penalty was reinstated.

Other Interesting Facts

Tennessee was the last Southern state to resume executions in the modern era.

A bluegrass concert at Nashville's historic Station Inn.  Photo by James Staub.
A blue­grass con­cert at Nashville’s his­toric Station Inn. Photo by James Staub.

Resources

  • Tennesseans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
  • American Bar Association Tennessee Death Penalty Assessment
  • Department of Corrections
  • Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference
  • Victims’ Services

Tennessee Execution Totals Since 1976

News & Developments


Secrecy

May 02, 2023

As Tennessee Legislature Ends, Two Death-Penalty Bills Fail and One Passes

Bills to alter the state’s method of exe­cu­tion and to make the exe­cu­tion process more trans­par­ent failed in Tennessee’s leg­is­la­ture this year as its ses­sion con­clud­ed. In an effort to facil­i­tate exe­cu­tions bogged down by the state’s prob­lems with …

As Tennessee Legislature Ends, Two Death-Penalty Bills Fail and One Passes

Intellectual Disability

Feb 24, 2023

MENTAL ILLNESS: President of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association Urges Halt to Death Penalty for Mentally Ill Defendants

In an op-ed in The Tennessean, Dr. Keith Caruso, President of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association, shared the rea­sons behind the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) oppo­si­tion to cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment for those with severe men­tal illness. …

MENTAL ILLNESS: President of the Tennessee Psychiatric Association Urges Halt to Death Penalty for Mentally Ill Defendants

New Voices

Feb 08, 2023

NEW VOICES: Tennessee Business Leader Underscores Problems with the Death Penalty

“Speaking as a busi­ness leader, a proud, life­time Tennessean and a human being, it’s time for the state to abol­ish cap­i­tal pun­ish­ment,” wrote Mac Bartine, CEO of Knoxville-based tech com­pa­ny Smartria, in an op-ed for Knox News. Bartine de…

NEW VOICES: Tennessee Business Leader Underscores Problems with the Death Penalty

Executions Overview

Jan 17, 2023

Tennessee Gov. Says No Death Warrants Until Execution Protocol Problems Fixed

Tennessee will not resume exe­cu­tions until it fix­es sys­temic prob­lems with the admin­is­tra­tion of its exe­cu­tion pro­to­col, Governor Bill Lee has announced. ​“It’s a very impor­tant issue that has to be done correctly,…

Tennessee Gov. Says No Death Warrants Until Execution Protocol Problems Fixed

Lethal Injection

Jan 04, 2023

Report: Tennessee Repeatedly Violated Execution Protocol Since 2018

An inde­pen­dent inves­ti­ga­tion into Tennessee’s exe­cu­tion prac­tices has found that the state repeat­ed­ly failed to fol­low its own pro­to­cols in per­form­ing sev­en exe­cu­tions and prepar­ing for an eighth between 2018 and 2022. Gov…

Report: Tennessee Repeatedly Violated Execution Protocol Since 2018

Public Opinion

Dec 06, 2022

Midterm Elections: Moratorium Supporters, Reform Prosecutors Post Gains Despite Massive Campaign Efforts to Tie Reformers to Surge in Violent Crime

In a year that fea­tured mas­sive cam­paign adver­tis­ing attempt­ing to por­tray legal reform­ers as respon­si­ble for increas­es in vio­lent crime, can­di­dates com­mit­ted to crim­i­nal legal reform or who promised to con­tin­ue statewide mora­to­ria on exe­cu­tions p…

Midterm Elections: Moratorium Supporters, Reform Prosecutors Post Gains Despite Massive Campaign Efforts to Tie Reformers to Surge in Violent Crime

Intellectual Disability

Nov 17, 2022

Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Continues to Oppose Local Prosecutors Who Concede that Death-Row Prisoner Is Intellectually Disabled

The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office attempt­ed to pre­serve a tri­al court rul­ing deny­ing Byron Black’s intel­lec­tu­al dis­abil­i­ty claim, argu­ing before the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals (TCCA) on November 8. …

Tennessee Attorney General’s Office Continues to Oppose Local Prosecutors Who Concede that Death-Row Prisoner Is Intellectually Disabled

Innocence

Aug 09, 2022

Shelby County Voters Oust Prosecutor Who Sought to Execute Pervis Payne

Tennessee vot­ers have issued a stun­ning rebuke to con­tro­ver­sial Shelby County District Attorney General Amy Weirich (pic­tured), oust­ing her from office after an eleven-year tenure marred by charges of racism and m…

Shelby County Voters Oust Prosecutor Who Sought to Execute Pervis Payne

Executions Overview

Jun 23, 2022

Tennessee Executions Could Be on Hold for Years Following Independent Investigation, Anticipated Court Challenges

Tennessee exe­cu­tions could be on hold for years, as the state con­ducts an inde­pen­dent inves­ti­ga­tion into wide­spread non-com­pli­ance with its exe­cu­tion pro­to­col and lit­i­gates the con­sti­tu­tion­al­i­ty of revi­sions expect­ed to be made to…

Tennessee Executions Could Be on Hold for Years Following Independent Investigation, Anticipated Court Challenges

Intellectual Disability

Jun 08, 2022

Tennessee Death-Row Prisoner Appeals Ruling Denying Him Relief Despite Agreement by District Attorney that He is Intellectually Disabled

A Tennessee death-row pris­on­er who coun­ty pros­e­cu­tors agree is intel­lec­tu­al­ly dis­abled is appeal­ing a tri­al judge’s refusal to vacate his death sen­tence under a law designed to pro­vide con­demned pris­on­ers a mech­a­nism to enforce th…

Tennessee Death-Row Prisoner Appeals Ruling Denying Him Relief Despite Agreement by District Attorney that He is Intellectually Disabled
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View Information by State

Additional Information


  • Death Penalty: Yes
  • Number of Executions Since 1976: 13
  • Number of Executions Before 1976 (may include federal and military executions): 335
  • Current Death Row Population: 47
  • Women on Death Row: 1
  • Number of Innocent People Freed From Death Row: 3
  • Number of Clemencies Granted: 3
  • Date of Reinstatement (following Furman v. Georgia): February 27, 1974
  • First Execution After Reinstatement: 2000
  • Location of Death Row: Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville
  • Location of Executions: Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, Nashville
  • Capital: Nashville
  • Region: South
  • Population: 6,910,840*
  • Murder Rate (per 100,000 population): 7.29
  • 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 for crimes after December 31, 1998; others may select electrocution
  • How is Sentence Determined?: Jury
  • Clemency Process: Governor has sole authority to grant clemency
  • Governor: Bill Lee

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