This paper will provide an overview of the current status of capital punishment in the Northeastern United States. Of the nine states which comprise the Northeast (based on the U.S. Bureau of the Census designation), five have the death penalty (Connecticut, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and four-as of January 1, 1999—do not (Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont). Among the summary information presented in this article will be data on the number, race, and ethnicity of prisoners convicted and sentenced to die, the actual number of prisoners executed, and authorized methods of execution in the Northeast. The overview also provides specific information on death-row housing for the five states authorizing the death penalty. It concludes by raising issues surrounding the death penalty in the Northeast that merit further exploration and analysis.
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