{"id":372943,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:08","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/idaho-law\/idaho-capital-punishment-laws.html"},"modified":"2024-12-31T12:05:17","modified_gmt":"2024-12-31T17:05:17","slug":"idaho-capital-punishment-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/idaho-law\/idaho-capital-punishment-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"Idaho Capital Punishment Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Idaho Capital Punishment Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By Melissa McCall, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by FindLaw Staff<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

In the State of Idaho, the death penalty is one sentencing option for certain offenses. Idaho has a long history with the death penalty, dating back to its pre-statehood days when it was the Idaho Territory. Despite this, Idaho has executed 29 people since 1864<\/a>, most of which (26) happened before 1973.<\/p>\r\n

Historical Background of Idaho’s Death Penalty<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

As mentioned before, capital punishment has been an option in Idaho since 1864, when the method of execution was hanging. Before 1901, most hangings took place publicly<\/a>, often in the county where the crime took place. That changed in 1901 when Idaho executions moved to the Idaho State Prison.<\/p>\r\n

Today, Idaho has an established execution chamber at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution (IMSI), which also houses male death row inmates<\/a>. The Pocatello Women’s Correctional Facility houses women’s death row inmates. The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) manages both facilities.<\/p>\r\n

Impact of Furman v. Georgia<\/i><\/h3>\r\n

Idaho had a national moratorium on the death penalty ushered in by <\/i>Furman v. Georgia<\/i><\/a>.<\/i> In Furman<\/i>, the U.S. Supreme Court determined that the death penalty, as imposed by Georgia, was not constitutional. Georgia imposed a death sentence on Furman after he killed someone accidentally during a burglary. In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the death sentence violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment<\/a>. The moratorium lifted in 1976 with the Court’s ruling in Gregg v. Georgia<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\r\n

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, since 1976, Idaho has completed three scheduled executions via lethal injection<\/a>. In 2019, Idaho ran out of lethal injection drugs. This was due to a shortage created after pharmaceutical companies stopped selling these drugs to state departments of corrections.<\/p>\r\n

Capital Punishment Crimes<\/b><\/h2>\r\n

Idaho law provides the death penalty as a sentencing option for the following crimes:<\/p>\r\n