NCJ Number
111301
Journal
Wayne Law Review Volume: 33 Issue: 5 Dated: (1987) Pages: 1765-1790
Date Published
1987
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article distinguishes and describes six eras of capital punishment over the three centuries of Michigan's history.
Abstract
When the French occupied Michigan in 1683-1760, the French performed the first execution by white men. The British occupied Michigan in 1760-1796. They executed the first woman and the only black person ever executed in Michigan. In 1796-1837, appointees of the U.S. President governed Michigan as a territory before it was admitted as a State in 1837. In 1846 Michigan became the first U.S. State to abolish the death penalty. A bill to bring back the death penalty was introduced in 40 sessions of the Michigan Legislature between 1846 and 1963. In 1929 a bill to bring back the death penalty passed both houses and was then vetoed. The voters defeated a 1931 referendum proposal to return capital punishment. The Michigan Constitution of 1963 banned the death penalty, so that returning the death penalty to Michigan will now require a constitutional amendment. Several attempts to obtain a sufficient number of signatures to get the issue on a ballot for a constitutional amendment permitting the death penalty were unsuccessful. Polls show that U.S. voters, including the Michigan voters, strongly favor the death penalty. If Michigan had a lower murder rate, there would undoubtedly be some shift in voter opinion. 62 footnotes.