Texas has executed more people than any other state since the death penalty's 1976 resumption.

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Since the U.S. resumed capital punishment in 1976, Texas has carried out 602 executions, accounting for more than a third of the national total. This high rate is often attributed to a conservative federal appellate structure, though recent years have seen a decline in both death sentences and executions.

Capital punishment in Texas has evolved significantly since the state's first recorded execution in 1819. Initially, hangings were the standard method, administered by individual counties. This changed in 1924 when the state centralized executions at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, mandating the use of the electric chair. Texas later became a pioneer in modern execution methods, becoming the first jurisdiction globally to use lethal injection in 1982, when Charles Brooks Jr. was executed.

The legal landscape shifted dramatically following the 1972 Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia, which effectively halted capital punishment nationwide by deeming existing procedures unconstitutional. Texas responded by revising its laws in 1973 to include a bifurcated trial process, separating the guilt-innocence phase from the sentencing phase. The death penalty was reinstated in 1976 following the Jurek v. Texas decision. Since then, Texas has maintained the highest execution rate in the country, a trend some experts link to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which is noted for being more deferential to state-level pro-death penalty sentiment than other federal circuits.

Despite its history, the application of the death penalty in Texas is changing. In 2005, the state introduced life imprisonment without parole as an alternative, a move supported by smaller counties facing the high costs of lengthy appeals. By 2021, the death penalty had become less of a political wedge issue. Recent data reflects this shift: 2020 saw only three executions and two death sentences, the lowest figures in decades. Today, capital murder is strictly defined under Texas law, covering specific scenarios such as the murder of a peace officer, murders involving remuneration, or the killing of an individual under 15 years of age.

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