Death row
Death row,also known ascondemned row,is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaitingexecutionafter being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced todeath.The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ( "being on death row" ), even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists. In the United States, after an individual is found guilty of acapital offenseinstateswhere execution is a legal penalty, the judge will give the jury the option of imposing a death sentence or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It is then up to the jury to decide whether to give the death sentence; this usually has to be a unanimous decision. If the jury agrees on death, the defendant will remain on death row duringappealandhabeas corpusprocedures, which may continue for several decades.
Opponents of capital punishment claim that a prisoner's isolation and uncertainty over their fate constitute a form ofpsychological abuseand that especially long-time death row inmates are prone to develop amental disorder,if they do not already suffer from such a condition. This is referred to as thedeath row phenomenon.Estimates reveal that five to ten percent of all inmates on death row suffer from mental illness.[1]Some inmates may attemptsuicide.There have been some calls for a ban on the imposition of the death penalty for inmates with mental illness[2]and also case law such asAtkins v. Virginiato further this. Executions still take place for those with clear intellectual disabilities due to poor legal representation and high standards of proof.[3]
Etymology
[edit]In 1933,Giuseppe Zangaraattempted to kill then President-electFranklin D. Rooseveltbut injured and killed Chicago MayorAnton Cermak.He was convicted of Cermak's murder and sentenced to death. Due to Florida law, an inmate could not be housed in a cell with an inmate who was awaiting execution so a prisoner awaiting execution was to be held in a separate waiting cell.Raiford Prison,where Zangara was being held, already had one prisoner waiting in their "death cell" so the waiting area was expanded to a row of cells, becoming a "Death Row".[4]
United States
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In the United States, prisoners may wait many years before execution can be carried out due to the complex and time-consuming appeals procedures mandated in the jurisdiction. The time between sentencing and execution increased relatively steadily between 1977 and 2010, including a 21% jump between 1989 and 1990 and a similar jump between 2008 and 2009. In 2010, a death row inmate waited an average of 178 months (roughly 15 years) between sentencing and execution.[5]Nearly a quarter of inmates on death row in the U.S. die ofnatural causeswhile awaiting execution.[6]
There were 2,721 people on death row in the United States on October 1, 2018.[7]Since 1977, the states of Texas (464), Virginia (108) and Oklahoma (94) have executed the most death row inmates.[5]As of 2010[update],California (683), Florida (390), Texas (330) and Pennsylvania (218) housed more than half of all inmates pending on death row. Gary Alvord arrived on Florida's death row in 1974 and died 39 years later on May 19, 2013, from a brain tumor, having spent more time on death row than any American.[8]Brandon Astor Jonesspent 36 years on death row (with a brief period in the general prison population during his re-sentencing trial) before being executed for felony murder by the state of Georgia in 2016, at the age of 72.[9]The oldest prisoner on death row in the United States wasLeroy Nash,age 94, in Arizona. He died of natural causes on February 12, 2010.[10]
Death row locations
[edit]Notes:
- ^Naval Consolidated Brig, Miramar is the only facility in theUnited States Department of Defensedesignated to house female Level III inmates.
European criticism of death row
[edit]Nearly all European countries have abolished capital punishment.[43]As of 2021,Belarusremains the only European country to use the death penalty.[44]
Around 70% of the world's countries have abolished capital punishment.[45]These countries are frequently concerned with their citizens in the United States criminal system.[45]There have even been instances of other countries citing human rights laws against the United States, or refusing to extradite incriminating material, in fear of their citizens being put on death row.[45]
On November 9, 2020, the United States received persistent criticism on its use of capital punishment during a United Nations review of its human rights record.[46]Many allies of the United States urged that the U.S. cease executions.[46]France urged the US halt executions, Germany suggested a federalmoratoriumon and eventual abolition, Austria called for immediate cessation of executions and then abolition, and Australia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland all called for abolition entirely.[46]
Other countries
[edit]According toAmnesty International,Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran were responsible for most known executions worldwide in 2020.[a][47]When theUnited Kingdom had capital punishment,there were generally no 'death rows'. The condemned were however separated from the general prison population in one of two 'condemned cells' located adjacent to the execution chamber. Sentenced inmates were given one appeal. If that appeal was found to involve an important point of law it was taken up to theHouse of Lords,and if the appeal was successful, at that point the sentence was changed to life imprisonment.[48]TheHome Secretary had the powerto exercise the Sovereign's royal prerogative of mercy to grant a reprieve on execution and change the sentence to life imprisonment. Essentially the speedy process from conviction to execution, re-sentencing or reprieve meant that there were low numbers, (if any) prisoners under sentence of death at any one time and so there was no need for a 'death row'. Assistant executionerSyd Dernleyused the term "death row" in his 1990 memoirThe Hangman's Taleto refer to the situation atWandsworth Prisonin April 1951 where, as only up to two persons could be hanged at one time, the execution of murderer James Virrels had to await the prior double execution of murderers/robbers Joseph Brown and Edward Smith a day earlier, before going ahead on 26 April.[49]
In some Caribbean countries that still authorize execution, theJudicial Committee of the Privy Councilis the ultimate court of appeals. It has upheld appeals by prisoners who have spent several years under sentence of death, stating that it does not desire to see the death row phenomenon emerge in countries under its jurisdiction.[citation needed]
Condemn cells
[edit]A condemn cell, also known as a death row cell, is a designated room within a prison where individuals who have been sentenced to death as a legal punishment are held until theirexecution.This specialized cell is a temporary holding area specifically designed for individuals awaiting capital punishment.[50][51][52]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Cellular_Jail%2C_Port_Blair%2C_India%2C_special_condemned_cell_for_keeping_the_prisoners_before_hanging_to_death.jpg/220px-Cellular_Jail%2C_Port_Blair%2C_India%2C_special_condemned_cell_for_keeping_the_prisoners_before_hanging_to_death.jpg)
Condemn cells are constructed with a focus on security and isolation. The room is typically designed to limit access and maintain strict control over the condemned individual. Furnishings and amenities in these cells are often minimal, as they are not intended for long-term incarceration but rather for the purpose of facilitating the impending execution. Typically, a condemn cell can house between one and three inmates.[53]
Bangladesh
[edit]Bangladeshhas witnessed significant controversy surrounding the use of condemn cells in relation tocapital punishment.The issue has sparked debates on various aspects, including human rights, the efficacy of the death penalty, and the treatment of individuals awaiting execution.[54][55]Several Bangladeshi prisons house inmates on trial in condemn cells, which is met with severe criticism.[56]There have been instances where acquitted people have been confined in condemn cells, for multiple years.[57][58][59]
See also
[edit]- Live from Death Row
- The Green Mile
- The Chamber
- Dead Man Walking
- Fourteen Days in May
- Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture
- List of death row inmates in the United States
- List of death row inmates in Japan
- List of women on death row in the United States
- List of exonerated death row inmates
- Execution chamber
- List of wrongful convictions in the United States
Notes
[edit]- ^The organization notes their report does not include the thousands of executions it believes occur in China, where capital punishment data is classified as a state secret.
References
[edit]- ^J. Wilson, Richard (2016)."The Death Penalty and Mental Illness in International Human Rights Law: Toward Abolition".Washington and Lee Law Review.73(3): 1470.Retrieved17 February2021.
- ^"Mental Illness".Death Penalty Information Centre.Retrieved17 February2021.
- ^"Intellectual Disability".Death Penalty Information Centre.Retrieved6 May2021.
- ^Oliver, Willard; Marion, Nancy (2010).Killing the President: Assassinations, Attempts, and Rumored Attempts on U.S. Commanders in Chief.Westport, California:Praeger Publishing.p. 96.ISBN978-0313364747.OCLC733346450.
- ^ab"Department of Justice: Capital Punishment, 2010 Figures".Journalist's Resource.org. 4 January 2012.
- ^"United States Department of Justice".usdoj.gov.Archived fromthe originalon 2007-08-21.Retrieved2007-08-21.
- ^"DEATH PENALTY INFORMATION CENTER: Facts about the Death Penalty"(PDF).Deathpenaltyinfo.org.RetrievedMarch 2,2022.
- ^"A man too crazy to be executed".Tampa Bay Times.
- ^"Facing Execution at 72, Georgia's Oldest Death Row Inmate Exposes Death Penalty's Racist Roots".Theintercept.com.31 January 2016.
- ^"BBC News - Oldest US death row inmate dies aged 94".news.bbc.co.uk.14 February 2010.Retrieved2016-11-01.
- ^"Special Confinement Unit Opens at USP Terre HauteArchived2010-12-03 at theWayback Machine."Federal Bureau of Prisons.July 13, 1999. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.
- ^Marshall, John. "Lisa Montgomery gets death penalty for killing pregnant womanArchived2013-11-05 at theWayback Machine."Associated Pressat theSoutheast Missourian.Friday April 4, 2008. Retrieved on October 3, 2010. "Department of Justice spokesman Don Ledford said Montgomery will likely be sent to the Federal Medical Center Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, a women's correctional facility that has medical services for inmates."
- ^"Lisa M MontgomeryArchived2013-10-10 at theWayback Machine."Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on October 3, 2010.
- ^"Angela JohnsonArchived2013-10-10 at theWayback Machine."Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved on October 14, 2010.
- ^"Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003."Alabama Department of Corrections.33/84. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "which also included a cellblock for 20 death row inmates."
- ^"Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003."Alabama Department of Corrections.21/84. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Donaldson has a death row unit with a capacity of 24 inmates."
- ^"Annual Report Fiscal Year 2003."Alabama Department of Corrections.45/84. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. "Tutwiler also has a death row,"
- ^ab"Death Row Information."Arizona Department of Corrections. Retrieved on March 16, 2023.
- ^"State Capitol Week in Review."State of Arkansas. June 13, 2008. Retrieved on August 15, 2010." Executions are carried out in the Cummins Unit, which is adjacent to Varner. "
- ^Haddigan, Michael. "They Kill Women, Don't They?"Arkansas Times.April 9, 1999. Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
- ^ab"History of Capital Punishment in CaliforniaArchivedJuly 24, 2010, at theWayback Machine."California Department of Corrections.Retrieved on August 16, 2010. "All male prisoners on condemned status are housed at a maximum-security custody level in three units at San Quentin State Prison. Females are housed in a maximum-security unit at Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla."
- ^ab"Condemned Inmate Transfer Program".Capital Punishment.California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.August 6, 2024.RetrievedAugust 6,2024.
- ^ab"Death Row."Florida Department of Corrections.Retrieved on December 30, 2020.
- ^"Georgia Diagnostic and Classification PrisonArchived2010-04-23 at theWayback Machine."Georgia Department of Corrections.Retrieved on July 18, 2010.
- ^"Inmates Under Death Sentence January 1, 2012 Changes to UDS Population During 2011."(Archive)Georgia Department of Corrections.Retrieved on November 18, 2012.
- ^Barrouquere, Brett. "Inmate challenges sedatives used in lethal injections Wilson also claims state doesn't provide enough information to inmates."The Harlan Daily Enterprise.November 24, 2007. Retrieved on September 8, 2010.
- ^"Kentucky State Penitentiary Prepares For 165th Execution."WLKY.Retrieved on September 8, 2010.
- ^"Life After Death Row."CBS News.April 25, 2010. Retrieved on August 16, 2010. "Rideau was sent to Louisiana's Angola Prison, where he spent a decade waiting to be executed."
- ^"Louisiana Correctional Institute for WomenArchived2010-09-24 at theWayback Machine."Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections.Retrieved on August 16, 2010.
- ^ab"Division of Institutions State PrisonsArchived2002-12-06 at theWayback Machine."Mississippi Department of Corrections. April 21, 2010. Retrieved on May 21, 2010.
- ^Lombardi, George, Richard D. Sluder, and Donald Wallace. "The Management of Death-Sentenced Inmates: Issues, Realities, and Innovative StrategiesArchived2010-05-27 at theWayback Machine."Missouri Department of Corrections.8-9. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.
- ^"Organization."Nevada Department of Corrections.Retrieved on September 5, 2010.
- ^"Lone woman on Nevada's death row dies in prison."Associated PressatNorth County Times.January 31, 2005. Retrieved on September 5, 2010.
- ^ab"Death Row and Death WatchArchived2003-12-20 at theWayback Machine."North Carolina Department of Correction. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
- ^abcd"CCI death row receives final inmatesArchived2015-07-14 at theWayback Machine."Chillicothe Gazette.Retrieved on February 2, 2012.
- ^ab"Capital Punishment in OregonArchived2014-07-16 at theWayback Machine."Oregon Department of Corrections.Retrieved on December 28, 2012.
- ^ab"Death Penalty FAQ."Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. 2 (2/4). Retrieved on July 26, 2010.
- ^"Death Row/Capital PunishmentArchived2010-10-07 at theWayback Machine."South Carolina Department of Corrections.Retrieved on July 8, 2018.
- ^"Graham (Camille Griffin) Correctional InstitutionArchived2010-10-13 at theWayback Machine."South Carolina Department of Corrections.Retrieved on August 17, 2010. "The institution also functions as a major special management unit with the ability to house female death row inmates and county safekeepers."
- ^ab"Death Row Facts."Tennessee Department of Correction.Retrieved on October 25, 2023.
- ^"West Livingston CDP, TexasArchivedJune 6, 2011, at theWayback Machine."U.S. Census Bureau.Retrieved on May 9, 2010.
- ^ab"Death Row FactsArchivedAugust 6, 2009, at theWayback Machine."Texas Department of Criminal Justice.Retrieved on August 15, 2010.
- ^"Opinion | Europe's View of the Death Penalty (Published 2001)".The New York Times.2001-05-13.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2020-11-30.
- ^"Belarus: The secret executions in Europe's 'last dictatorship'".BBC News.2018-05-14.Retrieved2022-02-07.
- ^abc"International".Death Penalty Information Center.Retrieved2020-11-19.
- ^abc"US capital punishment criticised by UN Human Rights Council during human rights review".Death Penalty Information Center.Retrieved2020-11-19.
- ^"Infographic: Which countries still have the death penalty?".Aljazeera.com.Retrieved2022-02-07.
- ^"History of Capital Punishment".Stephen-stratford.co.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2010.Retrieved2 March2022.
- ^Dernley & NewmanThe Hangman's Tale: Memoirs of a Public Executioner,Trans-Atlantic Publications, 1990ISBN0-330-31633-8(page 151)
- ^condemned-cell noun – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes|Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionaryat OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com
- ^Condemn cell|Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
- ^Condemned cell definition and meaning|Collins English Dictionary(collinsdictionary.com)
- ^Islam, Nazrul (2020-10-02)."49 women including Ayesha in condemned cells".Prothom Alo.Retrieved2023-07-05.
- ^"Why keeping convicts in condemned cells before the final verdict ought not to be illegal: HC".The Business Standard.2022-04-05.Retrieved2023-07-05.
- ^"Living death in condemn cells".The Independent.Dhaka.Retrieved2023-07-05.
- ^"Why inmates on trial in condemned cell".The Daily Star.2022-04-06.Retrieved2023-07-05.
- ^"HC orders judicial inquiry: 7 years in condemn cell despite acquittal".Dhaka Tribune.2022-08-07.Retrieved2023-07-05.
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- ^"HC orders judicial inquiry into Ctg man's 7 years in condemn cell despite acquittal".Daily Sun.August 2022.Retrieved2023-07-05.
External links
[edit]- Death Row Conditions: Death Penalty WorldwideArchived2015-09-23 at theWayback MachineAcademic research database on the laws, practice, and statistics of capital punishment for every death penalty country in the world.