NOTE: As of March 1, 2005, the Supreme Court ruled
that the Constitution bars capital punishment for crimes committed
before the age of 18.
1. For those sentenced after 11/15/92,
only lethal injection is authorized.
2. For those whose capital offense
occurred on or after 7/4/83, only lethal injection is authorized.
3. For those sentenced on or after
3/31/98, only lethal injection is authorized.
4. For those sentenced on or after
3/25/94, only lethal injection is authorized.
5. Hanging is authorized only if lethal
injection cannot be given.
6. Electrocution is authorized if lethal
injection is ever held to be unconstitutional, and firing squad if both
lethal injection and electrocution are held unconstitutional.
7. For those whose capital offense
occurred after 12/31/98, only lethal injection is authorized.
8. Lethal gas is authorized if lethal
injection is ever held to be unconstitutional.
9. For offenses under the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the method is that of the state
in which the conviction took place.
Source: Capital Punishment, 2004, U.S. Bureau
of Justice Statistics, and the Death Penalty Information Center, updated
2007.
Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson
Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
