Death row
Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution ("being on death row"), even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists. In the United States, after an individual is found guilty of a capital offense in states where execution is a legal penalty, the judge will give the jury the option of imposing a death sentence or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It is then up to the jury to decide whether to give the death sentence; this usually has to be a unanimous decision. If the jury agrees on death, the defendant will remain on death row during appeal and habeas corpus procedures, which may continue for several decades.
For other uses, see Death row (disambiguation).Opponents of capital punishment claim that a prisoner's isolation and uncertainty over their fate constitute a form of psychological abuse and that especially long-time death row inmates are prone to develop a mental disorder, if they do not already suffer from such a condition. This is referred to as the death row phenomenon. Estimates reveal that five to ten percent of all inmates on death row suffer from mental illness.[1] Some inmates may attempt suicide. There have been some calls for a ban on the imposition of the death penalty for inmates with mental illness[2] and also case law such as Atkins v. Virginia to further this. Executions still take place for those with clear intellectual disabilities due to poor legal representation and high standards of proof.[3]
Etymology[edit]
In 1933, Giuseppe Zangara attempted to kill then President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt but injured and killed Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak. He was convicted of Cermak's murder and sentenced to death. Due to Florida law, an inmate could not be housed in a cell with an inmate who was awaiting execution so a prisoner awaiting execution was to be held in a separate waiting cell. Raiford Prison, where Zangara was being held, already had one prisoner waiting in their "death cell" so the waiting area was expanded to a row of cells, becoming a "Death Row".[4]
European criticism of death row[edit]
Nearly all European countries have abolished capital punishment.[42] As of 2021, Belarus remains the only European country to use the death penalty.[43]
Around 70% of the world's countries have abolished capital punishment.[44] These countries are frequently concerned with their citizens in the United States criminal system.[44] There have even been instances of other countries citing human rights laws against the United States, or refusing to extradite incriminating material, in fear of their citizens being put on death row.[44]
On November 9, 2020, the United States received persistent criticism on its use of capital punishment during a United Nations review of its human rights record.[45] Many allies of the United States urged that the U.S. cease executions.[45] 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.[45]