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The Death Penalty in Louisiana

How Louisiana law treats death penalty, from the state code and official state agencies.

Short answer: Louisiana has the death penalty in its law. First degree murder is punished by death or life imprisonment at hard labor without parole, probation or suspension of sentence when the district attorney seeks a capital verdict (the jury decides between the two); La. R.S. 14:30(C); R.S. 14:42(D)(2); R.S. 15:569(A)

Death penaltyLouisiana has the death penalty in its law. First degree murder is punished by death or life imprisonment at hard labor without parole, probation or suspension of sentence when the district attorney seeks a capital verdict (the jury decides between the two); otherwise the sentence is life without parole. The first degree rape statute also lists death or life without parole when the victim was under 13 and the district attorney seeks a capital verdict. Executions take place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola by one of three methods chosen by the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections: lethal intravenous injection, nitrogen hypoxia, or electrocution.
R.S. 14:42: https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=78529; R.S. 15:569 (methods; last amended by Acts 2024, 2nd Ex. Sess., No. 5, eff. July 1, 2024): https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=150842.
Source: La. R.S. 14:30(C); R.S. 14:42(D)(2); R.S. 15:569(A)

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FAQ

Does Louisiana have the death penalty?
Louisiana has the death penalty in its law. First degree murder is punished by death or life imprisonment at hard labor without parole, probation or suspension of sentence when the district attorney seeks a capital verdict (the jury decides between the two); otherwise the sentence is life without parole. The first degree rape statute also lists death or life without parole when the victim was under 13 and the district attorney seeks a capital verdict. Executions take place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola by one of three methods chosen by the secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections: lethal intravenous injection, nitrogen hypoxia, or electrocution.

General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.