Browse Items (25 total)

Execution of Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt

In the 19th century, some U.S. states reduced capital crimes, moved executions out of the public eye, or abolished the death penalty, with Michigan…

San Quentin Gas Chamber

The gas chamber that was located in San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California. The chamber was dismantled in 2019 when Governor Gavin Newsom…

George Stinney Jr., 1944. Dept. of Corrections,
Central Correctional Institution, Record of Prisoners
Awaiting Execution.

Mug shot of a young black man. George wears a baggy striped prisoner uniform with a placard labeled "260" hanging from his chest.

Governor Ronald Reagan and state Senator George Deukmejian signing the 1973 California death penalty bill, SB450

The photograph was taken after the signing. Gov. Regan passes his pen to Sen. George Deukmejian (R. Long Beach), sponsor of the death penalty bill,…

Lynching announcement. John Hartfield will be lynched.

The article is a full page. The article demonstrates the level of mob justice and racial violence and how such culture impacted executions, legal and…

The Death Penalty: How Do Santa Cruzans Feel?

Newspaper article from the Santa Cruz Sentinel. The article is split between 7 columns and lines the top of the page.

John Brown's last speech

Abolitionist John Brown, about to be sentenced to death in 1859, addresses the court. Broadside sold at "The Liberator", Wm. Lloyd Garrison's…

Lethal Injection Bed

The lethal injection bed used in the "Old Main," the retired Southern part of the Penitentiary of New Mexico.

Professor Stephen Vladeck

Photograph of Stephen Vladeck sitting in a chair speaking into a microphone