Capital punishment in New Mexico
Encyclopedia
Capital punishment
was abolished on the U.S. State
of New Mexico
in 2009. The relevant legislation is not retrospective
, and so it is still possible for convicts to be executed for crimes committed before 2009. The law replaced the death penalty for the most serious crimes with life imprisonment
and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This makes New Mexico
the fifteenth state in the U.S.
to abolish capital punishment
.
Since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 (in the case of Gregg v. Georgia
). only one person has been executed in New Mexico. This was Terry Clark
, who was put to death in 2001, by lethal injection
, for the murder
of a child. The penalty was abolished by House Bill 2085, which was signed by Governor Bill Richardson on 18 March 2009 and came into force on 1 July of that year. Section 6 of the law states that "The provisions of this act
apply to crimes committed on or after July 1, 2009".
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
was abolished on the U.S. State
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
in 2009. The relevant legislation is not retrospective
Ex post facto law
An ex post facto law or retroactive law is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of actions committed or relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law...
, and so it is still possible for convicts to be executed for crimes committed before 2009. The law replaced the death penalty for the most serious crimes with life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
and life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. This makes New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
the fifteenth state in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to abolish capital punishment
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
.
Since the death penalty was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976 (in the case of Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia
Gregg v. Georgia, Proffitt v. Florida, Jurek v. Texas, Woodson v. North Carolina, and Roberts v. Louisiana, 428 U.S. 153 , reaffirmed the United States Supreme Court's acceptance of the use of the death penalty in the United States, upholding, in particular, the death sentence imposed on Troy Leon...
). only one person has been executed in New Mexico. This was Terry Clark
Terry D. Clark
Terry Doug Clark was convicted of the murder of nine-year-old Dena Lynn Gore. He was executed by the State of New Mexico by means of lethal injection...
, who was put to death in 2001, by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
, for the murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a child. The penalty was abolished by House Bill 2085, which was signed by Governor Bill Richardson on 18 March 2009 and came into force on 1 July of that year. Section 6 of the law states that "The provisions of this act
apply to crimes committed on or after July 1, 2009".