Execution chamber
Encyclopedia
An execution chamber, or death chamber, is a room or chamber in which a legal execution is carried out. Execution chambers are almost always inside the walls of a maximum-security prison, although not always at the same prison where the death row
population is housed. Inside the chamber is the device used to carry out the death sentence.
table. In most cases, a witness
room is located adjacent to an execution chamber, where witnesses may watch the execution through glass windows. All except for one of the states which allow capital punishment
are equipped with a death chamber, but many states rarely put them to use. The sole exception is New Hampshire
, who has not had an inmate on death row since the 1940s. Kansas, Nebraska and California are the only states to have an execution chamber, which is equipped to execute an inmate by lethal injection, which has never been used, while the State of New York had its execution chamber closed under the David Paterson
administration, following the 2004 New York Court of Appeals
decision in People v. LaValle
, which ruled the state's death penalty statute unconstitutional.
Notes:
Death penalty abolished in 2009; two prisoners remain on death row under sentences of death.
Last death sentence reversed on 2007.
Closed in 2008 under David Paterson
administration.
If an execution does occur, the state will use its parole board meeting room at the state prison.
, usually double-leaved, but in some older chambers such as at Oxford, single-leaved, and operating lever. The wooden beam from which the rope was suspended was usually set into the walls of the chamber above, with the floor removed. At Wandsworth Prison the floor was retained and holes allowed the rope and chains through. Oxford's chamber was of an old 19th century type, and the beam was simply set into the walls of the chamber just above head height. With newer chambers, a lobby area would usually separate the condemned cell from the gallows
, significantly reducing the distance the prisoner would have to walk to the execution chamber, although again, Oxford's dated set-up meant a long walk down a corridor from the condemned cell, and then a left turn into the chamber.
Such rooms were almost always built into one of the wings of a prison
, however following the recommendation of prison governors during the 1948 Royal Commission on Capital Punishment
, further execution chambers were housed in purpose-built blocks, separate from the main prison. The last gallows
to be constructed in Britain, at HMP Aberdeen, was built in 1962, and was used one year later for the hanging of Henry John Burnett
, the last person to be executed in Scotland
.
The last officially operational gallows in the United Kingdom (as several remained unofficially in other prisons), at Wandsworth Prison, was removed in 1994. Salvaged parts from it are currently in the possession of the National Galleries of Justice, having previously been at the HM Prison Service museum.
. Hanging is Japan's method of execution. The execution chamber in Tokyo has a trap door. As the condemned dies, his or her body falls into a room below the execution chamber, and in that room the death is confirmed. In the Tokyo facility, before the condemned is executed, he or she passes a statue of Amida Nyorai (Amitābha
), a Buddhist deity. The execution room in Tokyo is in two sections, with both of them together the size of a 15 tatami
mat room (270 square feet or 25 m²).
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...
population is housed. Inside the chamber is the device used to carry out the death sentence.
United States
In the United States, an execution chamber will usually contain a lethal injectionLethal 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...
table. In most cases, a witness
Witness
A witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
room is located adjacent to an execution chamber, where witnesses may watch the execution through glass windows. All except for one of the states which allow 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...
are equipped with a death chamber, but many states rarely put them to use. The sole exception is New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, who has not had an inmate on death row since the 1940s. Kansas, Nebraska and California are the only states to have an execution chamber, which is equipped to execute an inmate by lethal injection, which has never been used, while the State of New York had its execution chamber closed under the David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
administration, following the 2004 New York Court of Appeals
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. state of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six associate judges who are appointed by the Governor to 14-year terms...
decision in People v. LaValle
People v. LaValle
People v. LaValle, 3 N.Y.3d 88 , was a landmark decision by the New York Court of Appeals, the highest court in the U.S. state of New York, in which the court ruled that the state's death penalty statute was unconstitutional because of the statute's direction on how the jury was to be instructed...
, which ruled the state's death penalty statute unconstitutional.
Locations of execution chambers in the United States
| Execution chamber | |
|---|---|
| Federal | Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and... (Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana United States... ) |
| Military | Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and... (Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute, is a federal prison for adult males located at the intersection of State Road 63 and Springhill Drive, two miles south of Terre Haute, Indiana United States... ) |
| State | Execution chamber |
|---|---|
| Alabama Capital punishment in Alabama 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.... |
Escambia County Escambia County, Alabama -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*62.1% White*31.9% Black*4.4% Native American*0.2% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.5% Two or more races*1.9% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... (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.... ) |
| Arizona | Florence Florence, Arizona -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,054 people, 2,226 households, and 1,540 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,056.2 people per square mile . There were 3,216 housing units at an average density of 387.7 per square mile... (Arizona State Prison Complex - Florence Arizona State Prison Complex - Florence Arizona State Prison Complex – Florence also known as Florence State Prison is one of 13 prison facilities operated by the Arizona Department of Corrections . The main FSP prison is located in Florence, Arizona... ) |
| Arkansas Capital punishment in Arkansas Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Arkansas. Since 1820, a total of 504 individuals have been executed. According to the Arkansas Department of Correction, as of December 22, 2008, a total of 40 men were under a sentence of death in the state.... |
Lincoln County Lincoln County, Arkansas Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas and is included in the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population is 14,134. The county seat is Star City. Lincoln County is Arkansas's 65th county, formed on March 28, 1871, and named for Abraham Lincoln,... (Cummins Unit Cummins Unit The Cummins Unit is an Arkansas Department of Correction prison in unincorporated Lincoln County, Arkansas, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 65, near Grady, Gould, and Varner, south of Pine Bluff, and southeast of Little Rock.This prison farm is a correctional facility... ) |
| California Capital punishment in California Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in the U.S. state of California. The first recorded execution in the area that is now California took place on April 11, 1878 when four Native Americans were shot in San Diego County for conspiracy to commit murder. These were the first of 709... |
Marin County Marin County, California Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well... (San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison San Quentin State Prison is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men in unincorporated San Quentin, Marin County, California, United States. Opened in July 1852, it is the oldest prison in the state. California's only death row for male inmates, the largest... ) |
| Colorado Capital punishment in Colorado Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Colorado.Colorado was the last state to perform an execution in pre-Furman period , but since 1977 executed only one prisoner.-Current development:... |
Fremont County Fremont County, Colorado Fremont County is the thirteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county is named for explorer and presidential candidate John C. Frémont. The county population was 46,824 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cañon City. The Cañon City... (Colorado State Penitentiary Colorado State Penitentiary Colorado State Penitentiary also known as "CSP" is a maximum security prison and is one of 25 prisons in the Colorado Department of Corrections system. CSP is located in Cañon City, Colorado. CSP houses Colorado's most dangerous, most violent and the most disruptive prisoners... ) |
| Connecticut Capital punishment in Connecticut Capital punishment in Connecticut currently exists as an available sanction for a criminal defendant upon conviction for the commission of a capital offense. Connecticut, along with New Hampshire, are the only two New England states that maintain a death penalty. Since the 1976 United States... |
Somers Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place... (Osborn Correctional Institution) |
| Delaware | New Castle County New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 its population was 538,479, an increase of 7.6% over the previous decade. The county seat is Wilmington. The center of population of Delaware is located in New Castle County, in the town of... (James T. Vaughn Correctional Center) |
| 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... |
Bradford County Bradford County, Florida Bradford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 26,088. The 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimate for the county was 28,118 . Its county seat is Starke, Florida. Bradford County is the home of the Florida State Prison as well as several other state... (Florida State Prison Florida State Prison Florida State Prison , formerly known as the Union Correctional Institution—East Unit, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida. It is located on Florida State Road 16 right across the border from Union County. The institution opened in 1961, even though... ) |
| Georgia | Butts County Butts County, Georgia Butts County is a county located in the northern half of the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 24, 1825. As of 2000, the population was 19,522. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 23,759... (Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison Opened in 1968, Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison is a Georgia Department of Corrections prison for men in unincorporated Butts County, Georgia, near Jackson. The prison holds the state execution chamber; the execution equipment was moved to the prison in June 1980, with the first... ) |
| Idaho Capital punishment in Idaho Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Idaho.-Current development:Capital punishment was reinstated in Idaho on July 7, 1973, after the United States Supreme Court struck down all death penalty statutes across the country in 1972 Furman v. Georgia decision. The 1976 case Gregg v... |
Boise Boise, Idaho Boise is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River, it anchors the Boise City-Nampa metropolitan area and is the largest city between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.As of the 2010 Census Bureau,... (Idaho Maximum Security Institution) |
| Illinois | Tamms Tamms, Illinois Tamms is a village in Alexander County, Illinois, United States. The population was 724 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cape Girardeau–Jackson, MO-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area... (Tamms Correctional Center Tamms Correctional Center The Tamms Correctional Center is a Illinois Department of Corrections prison located in Tamms, Illinois. The prison has two sections, a 200-bed minimum security facility opened in 1995, and a 500-bed maximum security facility known as the Closed Maximum Security Unit opened in 1998... ) |
| Indiana | Michigan City Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City's origins date to 1830, when the land for the city was first purchased by Isaac C. Elston. Elston Middle School, formerly Elston High School, located at 317 Detroit St., is named after the founder.... (Indiana State Prison Indiana State Prison The Indiana State Prison is a maximum security Indiana Department of Corrections prison for adult males; however, minimum security housing also exists on the confines. It is located in Michigan City, Indiana, about east of Chicago. The average daily inmate population in November 2006 was 2,200. ... ) |
| Kansas | Lansing Lansing, Kansas Lansing is a city situated along the Missouri River in the eastern part of Leavenworth County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,265... (Lansing Correctional Facility Lansing Correctional Facility Lansing Correctional Facility is a state prison operated by the Kansas Department of Corrections located in Lansing, Kansas in Leavenworth County... ) |
| Kentucky | Eddyville Eddyville, Kentucky Eddyville is a city in Lyon County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,350 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lyon County . The Kentucky State Penitentiary is located in Eddyville.-History:... (Kentucky State Penitentiary Kentucky State Penitentiary The Kentucky State Penitentiary, also known as the "Castle on the Cumberland," is a prison of the Kentucky Department of Corrections located in Eddyville, Kentucky. The state's only maximum security male facility, the prison is located on Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River, about from downtown... ) |
| Louisiana | West Feliciana Parish West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 15,111 people, 3,645 households, and 2,704 families residing in the parish. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 4,485 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile... (Louisiana State Penitentiary Louisiana State Penitentiary The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff... ) |
| Maryland Capital punishment in Maryland Capital punishment is a legal form of judicial punishment in the U.S. state of Maryland. It has been in use in the state — or more precisely, its predecessor colony — since June 20, 1638, when two men were hanged for piracy in St. Mary's County. A total of 309 people were executed by a variety of... |
Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore... (Metropolitan Transition Center Metropolitan Transition Center The Maryland Metropolitan Transition Center , formerly known as the Maryland Penitentiary, is a maximum security Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services prison located in Baltimore. It was established in 1811 as the first prison in the state and the second of its kind in the... ) |
| Mississippi | Sunflower County Sunflower County, Mississippi -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,369 people, 9,637 households, and 7,314 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 10,338 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile... (Mississippi State Penitentiary Mississippi State Penitentiary Mississippi State Penitentiary , also known as Parchman Farm, is the oldest prison and the only maximum security prison for men in the state of Mississippi, USA.... ) |
| Missouri | Bonne Terre Bonne Terre, Missouri Bonne Terre is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated in 2008 as 6,854. It was 4,039 at the 2000 census. The community was originally settled by the French in 1720 after lead ore was discovered... (Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center The Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center is a 2,684-bed prison located northeast of Bonne Terre, Missouri.The ERDCC serves as the point of admission for male offenders committed by the courts in eastern Missouri to the Missouri Department of Corrections... ) |
| Montana | Deer Lodge Deer Lodge, Montana Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,421 at the 2000 census. The city is perhaps best known as the home of the Montana State Prison, a major local employer... (Montana State Prison Montana State Prison The Montana State Prison is a men's correctional facility of the Montana Department of Corrections in unincorporated Powell County, Montana, about west of Deer Lodge... ) |
| Nebraska | Lincoln Lincoln, Nebraska The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379.... (Nebraska State Penitentiary Nebraska State Penitentiary The Nebraska State Penitentiary is a state correctional facility for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. Located in Lincoln, it is the oldest state correctional facility in Nebraska, opening in 1869... ) |
| Nevada | Carson City Carson City, Nevada The Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has... (Nevada State Prison Nevada State Prison Nevada State Prison is a penitentiary located in Carson City. The prison has been in continuous operation since it was established in 1862 and is managed by the Nevada Department of Corrections. It is one of the oldest prisons still operating in the United States. The high security facility housed... ) |
| New Hampshire Capital punishment in New Hampshire Capital punishment in the U.S. state of New Hampshire is a legal form of punishment for the crime of capital murder. Capital murder is the only crime for which the death penalty may be imposed in the state. Since 1734, twenty-four people have been executed, with the last execution carried out in 1939... |
No clarified site for execution. |
| New Mexico | Santa Fe County Santa Fe County, New Mexico -2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.2% White*0.9% Black*3.1% Native American*1.2% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*14.9% Other races*50.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:... (Penitentiary of New Mexico Penitentiary of New Mexico The Penitentiary of New Mexico is a men's prison located in unincorporated Santa Fe County, south of central Santa Fe, on New Mexico State Road 14. It is operated by the New Mexico Corrections Department.... ) |
| New York | Beekman Beekman, New York Beekman is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area. The population was 11,452 at the 2000... (Green Haven Correctional Facility Green Haven Correctional Facility Green Haven Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York, United States. The prison is located in the Town of Beekman in Dutchess County. The New York State Department of Correctional Services lists the address as Route 216, Stormville, NY 12582... ) |
| North Carolina | Raleigh Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh... (Central Prison Central Prison Central Prison is a prison operated by the North Carolina Department of Correction in Raleigh, North Carolina. The prison, west of Downtown Raleigh, is on of land and is bounded by a double wire fence with a razor ribbon on top... ) |
| Ohio | Lucasville Lucasville, Ohio Lucasville is a census-designated place in Scioto County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,588 at the 2000 census. The village of Lucasville was laid out by Captain John Lucas in June 1819 and recorded August 7, 1819. Captain Lucas built the first tavern in the village and kept it until... (Southern Ohio Correctional Facility Southern Ohio Correctional Facility The Southern Ohio Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in Lucasville, Ohio, United States. The prison was constructed in 1972 and currently contains the death house for Ohio where death row inmates are executed... ) |
| Oklahoma | McAlester McAlester, Oklahoma McAlester is a city in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 17,783 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pittsburg County. It is currently the largest city in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, followed by Durant.... (Oklahoma State Penitentiary Oklahoma State Penitentiary The Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located in McAlester, Oklahoma, on . It is a prison of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Opened in 1908 with 50 inmates in makeshift facilities, today the prison holds more than 1,200 male offenders, the vast majority of which are maximum-security inmates... ) |
| Oregon | Salem Salem, Oregon Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood... (Oregon State Penitentiary Oregon State Penitentiary Oregon State Penitentiary , the first state prison in Oregon, United States, was originally located in Portland in 1851. In 1866 it was moved to a site in Salem and enclosed by a reinforced concrete wall averaging in height... ) |
| Pennsylvania | Benner Township Benner Township, Pennsylvania Benner Township is a township in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area... (State Correctional Institution - Rockview State Correctional Institution - Rockview The State Correctional Institution at Rockview, commonly referred to as Rockview, is a Pennsylvania Department of Corrections prison located in Benner Township, Pennsylvania, away from Bellefonte.... ) |
| South Carolina | Columbia Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan... (Broad River Correctional Institution Broad River Correctional Institution Broad River Correctional Institution is a South Carolina Department of Corrections state prison for men located in Columbia, South Carolina. The State of South Carolina execution chamber is located in Broad River.... ) |
| South Dakota Capital punishment in South Dakota -Current development:South Dakota Legislature passed a new death penalty statute, which went to effect due to signature of Governor Bill Janklow on January 1, 1979.-Crimes punishable by death:... |
Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Sioux Falls is the county seat of Minnehaha County, and also extends into Lincoln County to the south... (South Dakota State Penitentiary South Dakota State Penitentiary The South Dakota State Penitentiary is a state prison located in South Dakota's largest city, Sioux Falls, and holds the state's most deadly and dangerous criminals, as well as sex offenders. It was built in 1881. The building's industry shop makes several things for the state, including woodwork... ) |
| Tennessee | Nashville Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home... (Riverbend Maximum Security Institution Riverbend Maximum Security Institution Riverbend Maximum Security Institution is a prison in Nashville, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. The prison opened in 1989 and replaced its 100 year-old neighbor, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Even today, it is billed as one of the state's most high-tech facilities... ) |
| Texas Capital punishment in Texas Capital punishment has been used in the U.S. state of Texas and its predecessor entities since 1819.As of 16 November 2011, 1,228 individuals have been executed. Only Virginia has executed more individuals overall; however, since the death penalty was re-instituted in the United States in the... |
Huntsville Huntsville, Texas Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area.... (Huntsville Unit) |
| Utah | Draper Draper, Utah Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah Counties in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Between 1990 and 2000 Draper was Utah's fastest-growing city over 5,000 people . Its population in 1990 was 7,143 and had grown to 25,220 by the 2000 census... (Utah State Prison Utah State Prison Utah State Prison, or USP, is one of two prisons managed by the Utah Department of Corrections' Division of Institutional Operations. It is located in Draper, Utah, United States, about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City.-History:... ) |
| Virginia | Greensville County Greensville County, Virginia As of the census of 2000, there were 11,560 people, 3,375 households, and 2,396 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 3,765 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile... (Greensville Correctional Center Greensville Correctional Center Greensville Correctional Center is a prison facility located in unincorporated Greensville County, Virginia, near Jarratt. It is operated by the Virginia Department of Corrections. Greensville houses the execution chamber used to carry out capital punishment by the Commonwealth of... ) |
| Washington Capital punishment in Washington Capital punishment is a legal form of punishment in the U.S. state of Washington. A total of 110 executions have been carried out in the state and its predecessor territories since 1849. All but three were by hanging.-History:... |
Walla Walla Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census... (Washington State Penitentiary) |
| Wyoming Capital punishment in Wyoming Capital punishment is legal in the U.S. state of Wyoming.-Current development:Wyoming Legislature passed a new and current death penalty statute on February 28, 1977, due to eliminating all previous statutes across the country by the 1972 United States Supreme Court Furman v. Georgia... |
Rawlins Rawlins, Wyoming Rawlins is a city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,538 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Carbon County... (Wyoming State Penitentiary) |
Notes:
Death penalty abolished in 2009; two prisoners remain on death row under sentences of death.
Last death sentence reversed on 2007.
Closed in 2008 under David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
administration.
If an execution does occur, the state will use its parole board meeting room at the state prison.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the execution chamber was part of a larger complex, often referred to as the "Execution Suite". The room, usually formed from two single prison cells, contained the large trapdoorTrapdoor
A trapdoor is a door set into a floor or ceiling .Originally, trapdoors were sack traps in mills, and allowed the sacks to pass up through the mill while naturally falling back to a closed position....
, usually double-leaved, but in some older chambers such as at Oxford, single-leaved, and operating lever. The wooden beam from which the rope was suspended was usually set into the walls of the chamber above, with the floor removed. At Wandsworth Prison the floor was retained and holes allowed the rope and chains through. Oxford's chamber was of an old 19th century type, and the beam was simply set into the walls of the chamber just above head height. With newer chambers, a lobby area would usually separate the condemned cell from the gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
, significantly reducing the distance the prisoner would have to walk to the execution chamber, although again, Oxford's dated set-up meant a long walk down a corridor from the condemned cell, and then a left turn into the chamber.
Such rooms were almost always built into one of the wings of a prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
, however following the recommendation of prison governors during the 1948 Royal Commission on 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...
, further execution chambers were housed in purpose-built blocks, separate from the main prison. The last gallows
Gallows
A gallows is a frame, typically wooden, used for execution by hanging, or by means to torture before execution, as was used when being hanged, drawn and quartered...
to be constructed in Britain, at HMP Aberdeen, was built in 1962, and was used one year later for the hanging of Henry John Burnett
Henry John Burnett
Henry John Burnett was the last man to be hanged in Scotland and the first in Aberdeen since 1891. He was tried at the high court in Aberdeen between 23 and 25 July 1963 for the murder of merchant seaman Thomas Guyan...
, the last person to be executed in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The last officially operational gallows in the United Kingdom (as several remained unofficially in other prisons), at Wandsworth Prison, was removed in 1994. Salvaged parts from it are currently in the possession of the National Galleries of Justice, having previously been at the HM Prison Service museum.
Japan
Japan has seven execution chambers used to kill condemned criminals. One is at the Tokyo Detention HouseTokyo Detention House
The is a correctional facility in Katsushika, Tokyo. A part of the penal system of Japan, it is operated by the Ministry of Justice.One of Japan's seven execution chambers is in this facility. Hanging is Japan's method of execution. The execution chamber in Tokyo has a trap door...
. Hanging is Japan's method of execution. The execution chamber in Tokyo has a trap door. As the condemned dies, his or her body falls into a room below the execution chamber, and in that room the death is confirmed. In the Tokyo facility, before the condemned is executed, he or she passes a statue of Amida Nyorai (Amitābha
Amitabha
Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...
), a Buddhist deity. The execution room in Tokyo is in two sections, with both of them together the size of a 15 tatami
Tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core , with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width...
mat room (270 square feet or 25 m²).
In United States (last used models)
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado (used only once for Gary Lee DavisGary Lee DavisGary Lee Davis was a convicted murderer and rapist who was executed by the U.S. state of Colorado in 1997. He is the first person to have been subject to the death penalty in Colorado since the 1960s.-Early life:...
) - Connecticut (used only once for Michael Bruce Ross, volunteer)
- Delaware
- Florida (recently renewed)
- Georgia
- Idaho (used only once for Keith WellsKeith WellsKeith Eugene Wells was convicted of the murders of John Justad and Brandi Rains. He was executed in 1994 at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution by the State of Idaho by lethal injection, only one year and nine months after having been sentenced to death...
, volunteer). New execution chamber as of October 2011, never used - Indiana
- Illinois
- Kansas (never used)
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Missouri
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska (never used)
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- New Mexico (used only once for Terry D. ClarkTerry D. ClarkTerry Doug Clark was convicted of the murder of nine-year-old Dena Lynn Gore. He was executed by the State of New Mexico by means of lethal injection...
, volunteer) - Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota (used only once for Elijah Page, volunteer)
- Texas today Texas in 1982
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Virginia
- Washington
Other countries
- China (execution vanExecution vanExecution vans, also referred to as "mobile execution units", were developed by the government of the People's Republic of China and were first used in 1997. Prisoners are strapped to a stretcher and executed via lethal injection inside the van. The vans allow for death sentences to be carried out...
) - Japan (Tokyo Detention House)
- Thailand
- Guatemala
