Death row

In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Although he missed Roosevelt, he fatally shot Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. Zangara was subsequently convicted of Cermak's murder and sentenced to death. At the time, Florida law prohibited housing a death row inmate in the same cell as another prisoner awaiting execution. As a result, such inmates were required to be held in a separate holding area. At Raiford Prison, where Zangara was incarcerated, one inmate was already occupying the designated "death cell." To accommodate Zangara, the facility expanded the waiting area to include a row of adjacent cells, thus creating what became known as "Death Row." == United States ==

houses all but one male death row prisoners sentenced by the U.S. federal government. houses the male death row prisoners sentenced by the U.S. state of Texas. , which houses the male death row prisoners sentenced by the State of Louisiana , which houses male death row prisoners sentenced by the State of Mississippi , which houses male death row prisoners sentenced by the state of Oklahoma 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 (14 years and 10 months) between sentencing and execution. Nearly a quarter of inmates on death row in the U.S. die of natural causes while awaiting execution. There were 2,721 people on death row in the United States on October 1, 2018. As of 2024, 2,183 people are on death row in the United States. Since 1977, the states of Texas (464), Virginia (108) and Oklahoma (94) have executed the most death row inmates. Brandon Astor Jones spent 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. The oldest prisoner on death row in the United States was Leroy Nash, age 94, in Arizona. He died of natural causes on February 12, 2010. Death row locations Notes: ==European criticism of death row==

Nearly all European countries have abolished capital punishment. Currently, Belarus remains the only European country to use the death penalty. Around 70% of the world's countries have abolished capital punishment. These countries are frequently concerned with their citizens in the United States criminal system. France urged the US halt executions, Germany suggested a federal moratorium on and eventual abolition, Austria called for immediate cessation of executions and then abolition, and Australia, the Netherlands, and Switzerland all called for abolition entirely. == Other countries ==

in Montreal According to Amnesty International, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran were responsible for most known executions worldwide in 2020. When the United 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 the House of Lords, and if the appeal was successful, at that point the sentence was changed to life imprisonment. The Home Secretary had the power to 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 executioner Syd Dernley used the term "death row" in his 1990 memoir ''The Hangman's Tale'' to refer to the situation at Wandsworth Prison in 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 April 26. In some Caribbean countries that still authorize execution, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is 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. Condemned cells , Port Blair, India A condemned 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 their execution. This specialized cell is a temporary holding area specifically designed for individuals awaiting capital punishment. Condemned 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 condemned cell can house between one and three inmates. Bangladesh Bangladesh has witnessed significant controversy surrounding the use of condemned cells in relation to capital 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. Several Bangladeshi prisons house inmates on trial in condemned cells, which is met with severe criticism. There have been instances where acquitted people have been confined in condemned cells, for multiple years. ==See also==