FindLaw | Find a Lawyer. Find Answers.
Are you a legal Professional?
My current location:
,
| Change location
Arkansas Capital Punishment Laws
More Information on Capital Punishment Laws
| Code Section | 5-4-601, et seq.; 5-51-201 |
| Is Capital Punishment Allowed? | Yes, capital murder |
| Effect of Defendant's Incapacity | If no aggravating circumstances are found or if mitigating circumstances outweigh aggravating circumstances, the court shall impose life in prison without parole; no defendant with mental retardation at the time of committing murder shall be sentenced to death |
| Minimum Age | Chronological age does not necessarily control jury's determination (Giles v. Statz 549 S.W. 2d 479 (1977)) |
| Available for Crimes Other than Homicide? | Treason |
| Definition of Capital Homicide | Homicide committed by a person incarcerated for felony conviction; committed by person unlawfully at liberty after being imprisoned for felony conviction; use of threat or violence in commission of felony; knowingly created grave risk of death to person other than victim or caused the death of more than one person in the same criminal episode; committed in order to prevent arrest or escape custody; committed for pecuniary gain; committed for purposes of disrupting/hindering lawful exercise of any government or political function; especially cruel or depraved manner by use of torture or methods evidencing the defendant's pleasure in committing the murder; committed by means of destructive explosive, bomb, similar device |
| Method of Execution | Lethal injection or electrocution if lethal injection held unconstitutional |
Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact an attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
Research the Law:
- Official State Codes - Links to the official online statutes (laws) in all 50 states and DC.
Related Resources for Capital Punishment Laws: