U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Death row

Death row

Death row refers to incarcerated persons who have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution (as in "inmates on death row"). Historically, death row was a slang term that referred to the area of a prison in which prisoners who were under a sentence of death were housed. Usage of the term continues despite the fact that many states do not maintain a separate unit or facility for condemned inmates.
Automated Tags

Capital Punishment, 1995

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST           BJS
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1996           202/633-3047
                                                  
  SIXTEEN STATES EXECUTED 56 OFFENDERS LAST YEAR

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sixteen states executed a
total of 56 men last year, the Justice
Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
announced today.  It was the largest number of
prisoners put to death in one year since the
United States Supreme...

Capital Punishment, 1996

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE



ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST          BJS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1997            202/307-0784

         
PRISONER EXECUTIONS RISE SIGNIFICANTLY


     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Seventy prisoners were
executed in 16 states during the first 11 months
of this year--25 more than all  last year,
according to a report published today by the
Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS).
     Of the 70 executions, Texas accounted...

Capital Punishment 1997

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST           BJS
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1998             202/307-0784
       

SEVENTEEN STATES EXECUTED 74 PRISONERS DURING 1997        

     WASHINGTON, D.C.   Seventeen states executed
74 prisoners during 1997, the Justice Department's
Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced
today.  Texas executed half of them--37.  Virginia
put 9 to death, Missouri 6,  Arkansas 4 and
Alabama 3, according to BJS' annual death...