Capital punishment is a legal penalty in the U.S. state of Texas for murder, and participation in a felony resulting in death if committed by an individual who has attained or is over the age of 18.
In 1982, the state became the first jurisdiction in the world to carry out an execution by lethal injection, when it executed Charles Brooks Jr. It was the first execution in the state since 1964.[1]
Texas, which is the second most populous state of the Union, has executed 591 offenders since the U.S. capital punishment resumption in 1976 (beginning in 1982 with the Brooks execution) to October 1, 2024 (the execution of Garcia Glen White)—more than a third of the national total.[2] Even per capita, Texas has the nation's second-highest execution rate, behind only neighboring Oklahoma.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ESPYwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Death Row Information". Tdcj.state.tx.us. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- ^ State Execution Rates