Capital Punishment in Texas

Capital Punishment In Texas

Capital punishment has been used in the U.S. state of Texas and its predecessor entities since 1819.

As of 15 November 2012 (2012 -11-15), 1,243 people (including six women) have been executed. Only Virginia has executed more individuals overall; however, since the death penalty was re-instituted in the United States in the 1976 Gregg v. Georgia decision, Texas has executed (all via lethal injection) more inmates than any other state (beginning in 1982 with the execution of Charles Brooks Jr.), notwithstanding that two states (California and Florida) have a larger death row population than Texas.

Since 1923 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has been in charge of executions in the state. TDCJ houses death row prisoners after they are transported from their counties of conviction, and administers the death penalty on a condemned person's court-scheduled date of execution barring any last-minute stays.

Texas has used a variety of execution methods – hanging (until 1924), shooting by firing squad (used only four times during the Civil War period), electrocution (1924–1964) and lethal injection (1982 to present). Most executions were for murder, but other crimes such as piracy, cattle rustling, treason, desertion, and rape have been subject to death sentences. Seven sets of brothers have been executed, the most recent being Ronald (06/01/1995) and James (08/26/2004) Allridge for robbery-murders they committed in 1985.

Under current state law, the crimes of capital murder and capital sabotage (see Texas Government Code §557.012) or a second conviction for the aggravated sexual assault of someone under 14 is eligible for the death penalty (though the recent Supreme Court case Kennedy v. Louisiana removed the death penalty option for rapists). In order for a murder to be a "capital murder," it must meet one of the circumstances described below under the Capital Offenses section.

Male death row inmates are held at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit and female death row inmates are held at the Mountain View Unit, while all executions occur at Huntsville Unit.