Abolition before statehood Historically, several states have always been without capital punishment, the earliest being Michigan, which has not conducted an execution since it entered the Union. (However, one federal execution occurred in Michigan in 1938.) Shortly after attaining statehood, Michigan abolished the death penalty for ordinary crimes, becoming the first English-speaking government in the world to abolish the death penalty for all crimes except treason.[20] In 1963, Michigan amended its constitution to prevent later attempts at reinstatement. Every attempt through referendums and voter initiatives to reinstate the penalty since 1963 has failed, the latest being a failed attempt at a referendum in 2004.[21]
The newest two states, Alaska and Hawaii, abolished the death penalty prior to statehood, though Alaska had executed eight men when it was a territory. (1900–1959).[22]
[edit] Other early repeals Other states with long tenures of no death penalty include Wisconsin (with the distinction of being the only state to perform a single state-level execution in its history, and also the first to abolish the death penalty for all crimes), Rhode Island (although later reintroduced, it was unused and abolished again), Maine, North Dakota, Minnesota, West Virginia, Iowa, and Vermont. The District of Columbia has also abolished the death penalty; it was last applied there in 1957. One state, Oregon, abolished the death penalty through an overwhelming majority in a 1964 public referendum,[23] but reinstated it in a 1984 joint death penalty/life imprisonment referendum by an even higher margin, after a similar 1978 referendum succeeded but was not implemented due to judicial rulings.
[edit] Recent abolition
The District of Columbia and the following 17 U.S. states currently do not have an enforceable death penalty statute:
Alaska
Connecticut **
Hawaii
Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New Jersey
New Mexico**
New York
North Dakota
Rhode Island
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Note: states with ** means the death penalty is enforceable for offences committed before the repeal
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