Death Penalty in Mississippi

As of October 2026, Mississippi remains one of the 27 U.S. states that retain the death penalty in law. Mississippi law creates a fallback sequence from lethal injection to nitrogen hypoxia, electrocution and then firing squad when preceding methods are unavailable or unconstitutional.

Current legal status

The death penalty remains part of Mississippi law. That does not necessarily mean executions occur regularly: capital punishment in the United States varies sharply by state because death sentences, appeals, clemency, execution warrants, drug availability, court orders and executive policy can all affect whether a sentence is carried out.

Authorized execution methods

This state page is therefore linked to the broader Execution Methods in the United States archive rather than repeating technical protocol details that can change over time.

Death row, prisons and execution sites

Execution facilities: Mississippi State Penitentiary.

Execution events: Botched Execution of Jimmy Lee Gray.

Constitutional framework

Why this page exists

Sources

– Death Penalty Information Center — Mississippi state profile. – Death Penalty Information Center — Authorized Methods by State.

Death-row exonerations

– Sabrina Butler-Smith — convicted 1990, exonerated 1995 (Acquitted). – Kennedy Brewer — convicted 1995, exonerated 2008 (Charges dismissed).

These cases connect the state archive to the broader Death Row Exonerations in the United States hub.