History & Statistics

The Numbers    

Everything is bigger in Texas; including the number of executions.

Since 1819, Texas has led the nation in executions with 1,338 criminals sentenced to death. After a brief period in the 1960's and 1970's, during which the United States prohibited capital punishment, Texas marked the 1976 resumption ruling with the execution of convicted murderer Charles Brooks Jr., who also served as the first person to be executed via lethal injection.

Charles Brooks Jr. (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1982)

Since then, 583 Texans have been executed, resecuring Texas's place as having the highest number of executions in the U.S. The state peaked in 2000, with 40 prisoners executed. The state's death row population ranks third in the country, with 184 prisoners currently incarcerated. As of March 2023, five people have been euthanized.

Former Texas governor Rick Perry (2001 - 2014) additionally leads the nation in granting more executions than any other governor in U.S. history; under his administration, 279 Texans were put to death.

Rick Perry feat. 5 men executed under his admin

Harris County, the most populated county in Texas, currently accounts for 133 executions. Dallas County follows with 63, Bexar with 46, and Tarrant with 45. 

The Methods

Hanging 1819 - 1923

Electric Chair 1923 - 1964 

"Old Sparky" Texas Prison Museum, Huntsville, TX

Moratorium 1964 - 1982

Lethal Injection 1982 - today