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Capital punishment is a legal punishment in Pennsylvania. Despite remaining a legal penalty, there have been no executions in Pennsylvania since 1999, and only three since 1976 (all occurring in the 1990s, during the governorship of Tom Ridge).
In 1913, the state’s capital punishment statute was amended to bring executions under the administration of the state rather than individual counties, and also changed the method of execution to electrocution. Between 1915 and 1962, there were 350 executions in Pennsylvania, including two women.
Feb 28, 2018 · Most states, including Pennsylvania, allow capital punishment for the most serious crimes. Pennsylvania uses lethal injection for its executions but an inmate can request electrocution. The basics of capital punishment laws in Pennsylvania are highlighted in the table below.
- Rule 800. Applicability of Part A.
- Rule 801. Qualifications For Defense Counsel in Capital cases.
- Rule 802. Notice of Aggravating circumstances.
- Rule 803. Guilty Plea Procedure.
- Rule 804. Procedure When Jury Trial Is waived.
- Rule 805. No Sealed Verdict.
- Rule 806. Closing Arguments at Sentencing Hearing.
- Rule 807. Sentencing Verdict Slip.
- Rule 808. Form For Jury Sentencing Verdict Slip.
- Rule 809. Form For Trial Judge Sentencing Verdict Slip.
Except as provided in Rule 801, the rules in Part A shall apply to the guilt and penalty determination phases of all cases in which the imposition of a sentence of death is authorized by law. The 1990 amendment to this rule made it clear that Part A of Chapter 8 applies to both the guilt determination and sentencing phases of cases in which the dea...
In all cases in which the attorney for the Commonwealth has filed a Notice of Aggravating Circumstances pursuant to Rule 802, before an attorney may participate in any stage of the case either as retained or appointed counsel, the attorney must meet the educational and experiential criteria set forth in this rule. (1) EXPERIENCE: Counsel shall (a) ...
The attorney for the Commonwealth shall file a Notice of Aggravating Circumstances that the Commonwealth intends to submit at the sentencing hearing and contemporaneously provide the defendant with a copy of such Notice of Aggravating Circumstances. Notice shall be filed at or before the time of arraignment, unless the attorney for the Commonwealth...
(A) When a defendant charged with murder enters a plea of guilty to a charge of murder generally, the degree of guilt shall be determined by a jury unless the attorney for the Commonwealth elects to have the judge, before whom the plea is entered, alone determine the degree of guilt. (B) If the crime is determined to be murder of the first degree t...
(A) In all cases in which the defendant is charged with murder, the defendant and the attorney for the Commonwealth may waive a jury trial with approval by a judge of the court in which the case is pending In these cases, the trial judge shall alone hear the evidence, determine all questions of law and fact, and render a verdict that shall have the...
No sealed verdict shall be permitted under this chapter. Official Note Original Rule 354 adopted September 22, 1976, effective November 1, 1976; rescinded April 2, 1978, effective immediately. Former Rule 354 adopted July 1, 1985, effective August 1, 1985; renumbered Rule 355 February 1, 1989, effective July 1, 1989; renumbered Rule 804 and amended...
After the presentation of evidence at the sentencing hearing, each party shall be entitled to present one closing argument for or against the sentence of death. The defendant’s argument shall be made last. See Sentencing Code, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(a)(3). Official Note Rule 356 adopted February 1, 1989, effective July 1, 1989; renumbered Rule 805 and C...
(A) JURY (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), in all cases in which the sentencing proceeding is conducted before a jury, the judge shall furnish the jury with a jury sentencing verdict slip in the form provided by Rule 808. (2) In cases in which the jury is to determine if imposition of a sentence of death is precluded due to the defendant’s m...
CRIMINAL FIRST DEGREE MURDER SENTENCING VERDICT SLIP I. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS A. READ THROUGH THE ENTIRE VERDICT SLIP BEFORE BEGINNING DELIBERATIONS. B. AGGRAVATING AND MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES PRESENTED TO THE JURY. 1. The following aggravating circumstance(s) (is) (are) submitted to the jury and must be proved by the Commonwealth beyond a reasonab...
CRIMINAL A. I, B. The findings on which the sentence of death is based are: The aggravating circumstance(s) (is) (are): The aggravating circumstance(s) (is) (are): The mitigating circumstance(s) (is) (are): C. The findings on which the sentence of life imprisonment is based are: OR The mitigating circumstance(s) (is) (are): The aggravating circumst...
Jun 25, 2018 · Consequently, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania receives the financial benefit of such volunteerism, along with their shared expertise in developing statutory language and public policy recommendations to improve the law in Pennsylvania. The Commission periodically reports its findings and recommendations, along with any
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Pennsylvania Code on Murder and Aggravating and Mitigating Circumstances. 18 Pa C.S.A. Sec 2502 (a) MURDER OF THE FIRST DEGREE. -- A criminal homicide constitutes murder of the first degree when it is committed by an intentional killing. 42 Pa C.S.A. Sec 9711 (d) AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES.
Feb 24, 2023 · In 2019, for the first time ever, Pennsylvania set aside public funds for poor defendants facing the death penalty. The $500,000 appropriation to reimburse counties for the costs of indigent defense in capital cases, was tucked into a piece of budget legislation known as the fiscal code.
