Death Penalty in Oregon

As of October 2026, Oregon is one of the states that legally retains capital punishment but has an executive hold or practical pause on executions. Oregon retains a narrowed death-penalty statute, but executions remain under an executive hold; all then-existing death sentences were commuted in 2022.

Current legal status

The death penalty remains part of Oregon 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

Constitutional framework

Why this page exists

Sources

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

Death-row exonerations

– Jesse Lee Johnson — convicted 2004, exonerated 2023 (Charges dismissed).

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