Death Row

Death row is a general term used to refer to a prison housing unit designated for inmates who have been sentenced to death for their crimes. In the United States, which is the focus of this entry, these include inmates who have been convicted of the highest level of homicide (i.e., murder) in a jurisdiction—usually referred to as first-degree or capital murder—and for which a jury has determined that capital punishment (i.e., the death penalty) should be the sanction. As of 2016, capital punishment is authorized by 31 states, the federal government, and the military in the [Page 286]United States. Each of these jurisdictions must then provide housing for inmates under the sentence of death, sometimes known as condemned inmates, until an execution occurs (inmates ...