Does Louisiana Have The Death Penalty?

In Louisiana, first degree murder is punishable by death, and capital punishment is a legal punishment.

Despite remaining a legal punishment, there have been no executions in Louisiana since 2010, and no involuntary executions since 2002.

Execution protocols are tied up in litigation due to a 2012 lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s lethal injection procedures.

When the prosecution seeks the death penalty, the sentence is decided by the jury.

In case of a hung jury during the penalty phase of the trial, a life sentence is issued, even if a single juror opposed death (there is no retrial).

The governor may commute death sentences with advice and consent of the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Parole. The governor doesn’t need such consent for issuing a mere stay of execution.

The male death row is at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in West Feliciana Parish. The female death row is at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel.

Executions in Louisiana are currently performed at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. Louisiana’s method of execution is lethal injection.

The most recent execution was of Gerald Bordelon, who waived his appeals and asked to be executed in 2010. He is the only person to have been executed in Louisiana since 2002.