The list below indicates the legal status of the death penalty in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia since the United States Supreme Court’s decision in 1972 to declare death penalty statues of that era unconstitutional. The list indicates years prior to 1972 in cases of abolition. Notation of years for the legality of execution does not indicate executions were carried out in each of those years, but simply that it was legal in a particular state to do so. Red indicates a state where the death penalty is currently legal. Gray indicates a state where the death penalty has been abolished, with post-1972 dates listed as a range marking the start and end dates for the legal use of the death penalty in those states. For more detailed information about each state, click the state’s name.
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Alabama: legal since 1976 |
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Alaska: abolished since 1957 |
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Arizona: legal since 1973 |
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Arkansas: legal since 1973 |
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California: legal since 1974 |
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Colorado: legal since 1975 |
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Connecticut: 1973-2012 |
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Delaware: legal since 1974 |
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District of Columbia: abolished since 1981 |
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Florida: legal since 1972 |
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Georgia: legal since 1973 |
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Hawaii: abolished since 1957 |
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Idaho: legal since 1973 |
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Illinois: 1974-2011 |
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Indiana: legal since 1973 (includes U.S. Federal Death Row: legal since 1988) |
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Iowa: abolished since 1965 |
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Kansas: legal since 1994 (U.S. Military Death Row: legal since 1984) |
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Kentucky: legal since 1975 |
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Louisiana: legal since 1973 |
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Maine: abolished in 1887 |
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Massachusetts: 1982-1984 |
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Maryland: 1978-2013 |
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Michigan: abolished since 1846 |
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Minnesota: abolished in 1911 |
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Mississippi: legal since 1974 |
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Missouri: legal since 1975 |
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Montana: legal since 1974 |
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Nebraska: legal since 1973 |
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Nevada: legal since 1973 |
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New Hampshire: legal since 1991 |
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New Jersey: 1982-2007 |
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New Mexico: 1979-2009 |
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New York: 1973 – 1984; 1995-2007 |
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North Carolina: legal since 1977 |
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North Dakota: abolished since 1973 |
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Ohio: legal since 1974 |
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Oklahoma: legal since 1976 |
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Oregon: 1978-1981; legal since 1984 |
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Pennsylvania: 1974-1977; legal since 1978 |
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Rhode Island: 1973-1979; abolished in 1984 |
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South Carolina: 1974-1977; legal since 1985 |
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South Dakota: legal since 1979 |
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Tennessee: legal since 1978 |
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Texas: legal since 1974 |
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Utah: legal since 1973 |
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Vermont: abolished since 1965 |
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Virginia: legal since 1975 |
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Washington: 1975-1977; legal since 1981 |
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West Virginia: abolished since 1965 |
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Wisconsin: abolished since 1853 |
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Wyoming: legal since 1977 |