NCJ Number
139859
Date Published
1991
Length
205 pages
Annotation
Using anecdotes, first-person accounts, interviews with death row inmates and others, and statistics, this volume reviews the history of capital punishment in Utah and specific details of the crimes, victims, and personal histories of the 47 men executed in the State since 1847.
Abstract
The text details the methods used for executions during Utah's history and the issues that must currently be addressed in developing procedures for executions. It outlines State laws and law reforms, judicial decisions, and the role of the Mormon church in criminal justice policymaking. It notes that in Utah, executions have been carried out only for murder or for being an accomplice to murder. No juveniles have been executed, and no women have been sentenced to death. The time between the crime and the execution has ranged from 8 days to 13 years. Thirty-nine of the executions were by firing squad, six by hanging, and two by lethal injection. Polls in Utah have consistently shown high levels of public support for capital punishment, and it will undoubtedly continue. Photographs