The issue of corporal punishment can polarize people instantly, and it's been that way in this country for a long time. Each state makes its own laws concerning the sentence. Most states allow capital punishment, but Connecticut does not. The death penalty was repealed by a new law in 2012.
Gov. Dannel Malloy signed the law that abolishes the death penalty. It is one of 18 states (plus the District of Columbia) to ban corporal punishment. The new law replaced the death penalty with life in prison without the possibility of release as the state's highest form of punishment. "Although it is an historic moment ... it is a moment for sober reflection, not celebration," the governor said in a statement.
From 1976 to 2012, Connecticut juries have handed down 15 death sentences. Of those, only one person has been executed, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a nonpartisan group that studies death penalty laws.
The basics of capital punishment laws in Connecticut are highlighted in the table below. See FindLaw's Death Penalty section for more related articles.
| Code Section | 53a-46a; 53a-54b; 54-100, et seq. |
| Is Capital Punishment Allowed? | No |
| Effect of Defendant's Incapacity | N/A |
| Minimum Age | N/A |
| Available for Crimes Other than Homicide? | N/A |
| Definition of Capital Homicide | Murder committed in commission of felony; 2 or more prior felonies involving infliction of serious bodily injury; knowingly created grave risk of death to other persons; murder of a police officer, chief inspector in criminal justice, constable performing criminal law duties, special police; especially heinous, cruel, depraved manner; committed for pecuniary gain; murder committed by a kidnapper of kidnap victim either during abduction or before victim can be returned to safety; seller of illegal narcotic if purchaser dies as a result of use of narcotic; murder of person under 16; during commission of 1st degree sex assault; murder of 2 or more persons at the same time or in the course of a single transaction; murder committed by one who was under sentence of life imprisonment at time of murder |
| Method of Execution | Formerly lethal injection by a continuous intravenous injection of a substance or substances sufficient to cause death |
Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact a Connecticut criminal defense attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
Related Resources for Capital Punishment Laws:
