There’s no shortage of documentaries exploring capital punishment and the people awaiting execution — but one detail that can surprise viewers is just how long the road to death row and beyond can be.
The death penalty, sometimes referred to as capital punishment, remains legal in 27 US states as well as under federal and military law, while 23 states have eliminated it.
Globally, more than 50 countries still carry out executions — and in many places, the process is far more complex than it may appear at first glance.
In the US, capital punishment involves the state executing a person convicted of certain serious crimes, most commonly murder.
After sentencing, individuals are typically held on death row — a separate, high-security area of a prison — while their case moves through additional legal stages. That wait can stretch for years, and in some cases, decades.
States where it is legal include Texas, Alabama, Florida and Arizona, while it is prohibited in places such as Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut and Delaware.
So how long do people usually remain on death row? The reality is that there isn’t one universal timeline.
Some prisoners spend only a limited amount of time there, while others are only one there for a short period of time ‘before their convictions or death sentences are overturned in the courts,’ the Death Penalty Information Centre (DPIC) states.
Even so, significant delays are common: around half of cases have taken more than a decade, and some individuals have remained on death row for over 40 years.
Over the last 20 years, the gap between sentencing and execution is believed to have grown by roughly two-thirds.
Data cited by NPR indicates that in 2000, the average time from sentence to execution was 11.4 years — but by 2020, it had increased to 18.9 years.
Experts explained to NPR: “This trend is due, in part, to changed opinions on capital punishment in the U.S., and a lengthier appeals process that delay executions.”
The wait is partly driven by an extensive, compulsory appeals system designed to reduce the risk of executing someone who is innocent.
On top of that, DPIC notes further obstacles, including ‘legal challenges, high costs, and difficulties in procuring execution drugs,’ which can also slow the process.
As of January 2025, about 2,100 people were reported to be on death row.
Figures shared by the Death Penalty Information Centre suggest that 98% of those inmates are men, with women making up the remaining 2%.
One high-profile inmate currently on death row is Florida killer Wade Wilson, known as The Deadpool Killer.
Wilson received a death sentence in 2024 for the October 2019 murders of 35-year-old Kristine Melton and 43-year-old Diane Ruiz.
The case has recently drawn renewed attention following its inclusion in Netflix’s true-crime series Worst Ex Ever.