Capital punishment in Alabama
Encyclopedia
Capital punishment is legal in Alabama, as it is in most U.S. states
. Capital punishment
dates back to 1812, when present-day Alabama
was still part of the Mississippi Territory
.
Intentional murder with any of 18 aggravating factors can be charged as capital murder. Like Delaware
and Florida
, Alabama allows trial judges to overrule a jury's decision; nearly 100 have been sentenced to death since 1976 as a result of a judicial sentencing override. Executions are carried out at the Holman Correctional Facility
, near Atmore, Alabama
.
Fifty-one people have been executed by the state of Alabama since 1983 (24 by electrocution and 27 by lethal injection). As of July 2011, there are 205 people on the state's death row
.
As in any other state, people who are under 18 at the time of commission of the capital crime or mentally retarded are nationally exempt from execution. The Governor of Alabama has the authority to grant a commutation of sentence in capital (as well as non-capital) cases. There has been only one commutation of a death sentence since 1976: Judith Ann Neelley
's death sentence was commuted to life in prison by outgoing Governor Fob James
in January 1999.
was the primary method of execution, although one person was shot.
In addition to murder
, capital crimes in Alabama formerly included rape
, arson
, and robbery
. Alabama executed the last person convicted of a crime other than murder in the U.S.: James Coburn
, for robbery, in 1964. Most people executed for rape in Alabama were black.
The 1972 U.S. Supreme Court case Furman v. Georgia
, requiring a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty, established a de facto
moratorium
on capital punishment across the United States. That moratorium remained until July 2, 1976, when Gregg v. Georgia
decided how states could impose death sentences without violating the Eighth Amendment
's ban against cruel and unusual punishment
. The death penalty in Alabama was reinstated on March 25, 1976, when Alabama's legislature passed, and Governor George Wallace
signed, a new death penalty statute. No execution was carried out until 1977.
Holman Correctional Facility
has a male death row that originally had a capacity of 20, but was expanded in the summer of 2000. The William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility
has a male death row with a capacity of 24. Donaldson's death row houses prisoners who need to stay in the Birmingham
judicial district. Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women
houses the female death row. All executions occur at Holman.
was the only method of execution in Alabama. In July 2002, lethal injection
became the default method, although electrocution can still be used at the request of the prisoner. Since the introduction of lethal injection, every inmate has chosen it over the electric chair. The last inmate executed involuntarily in the chair in Alabama was Lynda Lyon Block
.
Other controversial cases include those of Freddie Lee Wright and Cornelius Singleton.
Capital punishment in the United States
Capital punishment in the United States, in practice, applies only for aggravated murder and more rarely for felony murder. Capital punishment was a penalty at common law, for many felonies, and was enforced in all of the American colonies prior to the Declaration of Independence...
. Capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
dates back to 1812, when present-day Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
was still part of the Mississippi Territory
Mississippi Territory
The Territory of Mississippi was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from April 7, 1798, until December 10, 1817, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Mississippi....
.
Intentional murder with any of 18 aggravating factors can be charged as capital murder. Like Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
and Florida
Capital punishment in Florida
Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Florida. Florida was the first state to reintroduce the death penalty after the Supreme Court of the United States struck down all statutes in the country in the 1972 Furman v. Georgia decision, and the first to perform a post-Furman involuntary...
, Alabama allows trial judges to overrule a jury's decision; nearly 100 have been sentenced to death since 1976 as a result of a judicial sentencing override. Executions are carried out at the Holman Correctional Facility
Holman Correctional Facility
Holman Correctional Facility is an Alabama Department of Corrections prison located in unincorporated southwestern Escambia County, Alabama. The facility is along Alabama State Highway 21, north of Atmore....
, near Atmore, Alabama
Atmore, Alabama
Atmore is a city in Escambia County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 7,676. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 7,530. The city was named for Mr. C.P. Atmore....
.
Fifty-one people have been executed by the state of Alabama since 1983 (24 by electrocution and 27 by lethal injection). As of July 2011, there are 205 people on the state's death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
.
As in any other state, people who are under 18 at the time of commission of the capital crime or mentally retarded are nationally exempt from execution. The Governor of Alabama has the authority to grant a commutation of sentence in capital (as well as non-capital) cases. There has been only one commutation of a death sentence since 1976: Judith Ann Neelley
Alvin and Judith Neelley
Alvin Howard Neelley, Jr. and Judith Ann Adams Neelley are an American couple responsible for two torture murders. They each were convicted of the kidnappings and murders of Lisa Ann Millican and Janice Chatman. Judy Neelley was sentenced to death by the state of Alabama in 1983, but her sentence...
's death sentence was commuted to life in prison by outgoing Governor Fob James
Fob James
Forrest Hood James, Jr., known as Fob James , is an American politician, a civil engineer, and an all-American half-back...
in January 1999.
History
Between 1812 and 1965, 708 people were executed in Alabama; 18 were women. Until 1927, hangingHanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
was the primary method of execution, although one person was shot.
In addition to murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, capital crimes in Alabama formerly included rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, arson
Arson
Arson is the crime of intentionally or maliciously setting fire to structures or wildland areas. It may be distinguished from other causes such as spontaneous combustion and natural wildfires...
, and robbery
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
. Alabama executed the last person convicted of a crime other than murder in the U.S.: James Coburn
James Coburn (criminal)
James Coburn was the last defendant executed in the United States for a crime other than murder.A white farmhand, Coburn was convicted of robbery in Dallas County, Alabama and was sentenced to death...
, for robbery, in 1964. Most people executed for rape in Alabama were black.
The 1972 U.S. Supreme Court case Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia
Furman v. Georgia, was a United States Supreme Court decision that ruled on the requirement for a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty. The case led to a de facto moratorium on capital punishment throughout the United States, which came to an end when Gregg v. Georgia was...
, requiring a degree of consistency in the application of the death penalty, established a de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
moratorium
Moratorium
Moratorium may refer to:*Moratorium *Moratorium *Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam*UN moratorium on the death penalty*2010 U.S. Deepwater Drilling Moratorium...
on capital punishment across the United States. That moratorium remained until July 2, 1976, when Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
decided how states could impose death sentences without violating the Eighth Amendment
Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights which prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines or cruel and unusual punishments. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that this amendment's Cruel and Unusual...
's ban against cruel and unusual punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment
Cruel and unusual punishment is a phrase describing criminal punishment which is considered unacceptable due to the suffering or humiliation it inflicts on the condemned person...
. The death penalty in Alabama was reinstated on March 25, 1976, when Alabama's legislature passed, and Governor George Wallace
George Wallace
George Corley Wallace, Jr. was the 45th Governor of Alabama, serving four terms: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. "The most influential loser" in 20th-century U.S. politics, according to biographers Dan T. Carter and Stephan Lesher, he ran for U.S...
signed, a new death penalty statute. No execution was carried out until 1977.
Holman Correctional Facility
Holman Correctional Facility
Holman Correctional Facility is an Alabama Department of Corrections prison located in unincorporated southwestern Escambia County, Alabama. The facility is along Alabama State Highway 21, north of Atmore....
has a male death row that originally had a capacity of 20, but was expanded in the summer of 2000. The William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility
William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility
William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility is an Alabama Department of Corrections prison for men located in unincorporated Jefferson County, Alabama, near Bessemer.-History:...
has a male death row with a capacity of 24. Donaldson's death row houses prisoners who need to stay in the Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
judicial district. Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women
Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women
The Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women is a prison for women of the Alabama Department of Corrections, located in Wetumpka, Alabama. All female inmates entering ADOC are sent to the receiving unit in Tutwiler. Tutwiler houses the state's female death row...
houses the female death row. All executions occur at Holman.
Methods
From 1927 until 2002, electrocutionElectric chair
Execution by electrocution, usually performed using an electric chair, is an execution method originating in the United States in which the condemned person is strapped to a specially built wooden chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on the body...
was the only method of execution in Alabama. In July 2002, lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
became the default method, although electrocution can still be used at the request of the prisoner. Since the introduction of lethal injection, every inmate has chosen it over the electric chair. The last inmate executed involuntarily in the chair in Alabama was Lynda Lyon Block
Lynda Lyon Block
Lynda Cheryl Lyon Block was an American convicted murderess....
.
Controversies
Alabama's death penalty system is criticized for ineffective legal support for inmates facing death sentences, and some cases are highly controversial. Brian K. Baldwin was executed in 1999 despite what some deemed insufficient evidence of his guilt.Other controversial cases include those of Freddie Lee Wright and Cornelius Singleton.
See also
- List of individuals executed by Alabama
- To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...