Capital punishment in Connecticut

Connecticut is currently one of only two states of New England where capital punishment is legal. Unlike the second, New Hampshire, where the last execution to date took place in 1939, Connecticut has executed one person in the post-Furman era (since 1976).

History

Connecticut performed 126 executions from 1639 to 1960. Twenty-four of these execution were prior to statehood, 102 since. [ [http://users.bestweb.net/~rg/execution/regional_studies_northeast.htm Regional Studies Northeast ] ] .

All executions prior to 1937 were carried out by hanging; between 1937 and 1960, the electric chair became the only legal method of execution.

A Native American named Nepauduck was the first person executed in present-State area (now New Haven County) on January 30, 1639. The first woman executed was Mary Johnson, hanged for witchcraft in 1649.

The last person executed for crime other than murder was an African-American 20-year-old man named Amos Adams, hanged for rape on November 20, 1830. [http://users.bestweb.net/~rg/execution/CONNECTICUT.htm] .

The first person executed by electrocution was James McElroy on February 10, 1937.

In the pre-Furman period, Connecticut performed 108 hangings and 18 electrocutions. The last pre-Furman execution in Connecticut took place on May 17, 1960 [ [http://www.cslib.org/executions.htm Executions since 1894, CT State Library] ] , when Joseph "Mad Dog" Taborsky was electrocuted for six murders committed during a string of armed robberies. This was also the last execution in New England in the pre-Furman era.

Ages of the condemned

The State of Connecticut legally executed one of the youngest persons in the United States. Native American 12-year-old girl Hannah Ocuish was hanged on December 20, 1786 in New London County for the murder of a young white girl.

Until the 2005 Roper v. Simmons decision, juveniles over the age of 16 could be sentenced to death because state law only required that the offender be tried in adult court to face the death penalty. However, no juveniles have been sentenced to death in the state in recent memory.http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=27&did=203 [ [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=27&did=203]

Present

Connecticut reinstated the death penalty on January 10, 1973 [ [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state/ Death Penalty Information Center ] ] .

Lethal injection replaced the electric chair, not used since Taborsky's execution, in 1995 [http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/chair.htm] .

Unlike most of the other states, the Governor of Connecticut cannot commute the death sentence imposed under State law or pardon a death row inmate. This is determined by the Board of Clemency, on which the Governor does not sit. The other states where the Board has sole authority are Georgia and Idaho [ [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=126&scid=13 Clemency ] ] .

Inmates executed

The only person executed since 1977 in Connecticut was serial killer and rapist Michael Bruce Ross on May 13, 2005. [ [http://www.cslib.org/capitalpunishment.htm#ross Michael Ross - Selected Chronology, CT State Library] ]

Inmates sentenced to death

There are currently ten inmates sentenced to death in Connecticut.

ee also

Capital punishment in the United States

References

External links

* [http://www.cslib.org/capitalpunishment.htm Legislation and History of Capital Punishment in Connecticut] at the Connecticut State Library.
* [http://www.cga.ct.gov/2001/rpt/olr/htm/2001-r-0521.htm Summary of Crimes Committed by Death Row Inmates]