Listing the Top 11 Texas Counties for Executions

(Smith County, Texas) - For the most part, Texans have no problem with the death penalty. If a crime is brutal and/or cruel enough to warrant that ultimate punishment, we can accept that here. There are other states that don't feel the same.

Unsurprisingly, Texas leads the way for the number of executions per year. There are 11 counties that have had either double or triple digit executions throughout the years. Let's take a look at the numbers and how our East Texas counties rank in this list.

Here are the Top 11 Counties for Executions in Texas

Executions have been a form of punishment since the beginning of time. There was the guillotine where a person's head was placed in a stock and a large blade was dropped that would sever the head from the body. There was crucifixion like what Jesus we sentenced to in the Bible.

Hanging was another form of execution. As firearms became the weapon of choice, firing squads became a common way to carry out a punishment. The electric chair, which used electricity to electrocute the condemned, was a common form of punishment, too. All of those ways were cruel and excruciating ways to die.

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Listing the Top 11 Texas Counties for Executions

Executions are not as cruel as they used to be. Those who have been convicted and given the sentence of death are given a cocktail of drugs that will essentially put the person to sleep. The method is painless and peaceful which some would say is not the way they should go considering the brutality of the crime they carried out.

East Texas is no stranger to carrying out executions. Below are the numbers for each county in our area (deathpenaltyinfo.org):

Smith - 14
Titus - 8
Gregg - 5
Anderson - 4
Hunt - 4
Cherokee - 3
Henderson - 2
Hopkins - 2
Polk - 2
Harrison - 1
Jasper - 1
Kaufman - 1
Nacogdoches - 1
Newton - 1
Sabine - 1
Shelby - 1
Trinity - 1
Upshur - 1
Wood - 1
Houston - 1
Morris - 1

Number of Executions in Texas

Texas has no problem sentencing a criminal to death if the nature of the crime calls for it. This sentence is usually reserved who those commit murder, or multiple murders, that are done in a brutal or senseless manner. Below, we'll look at the Top 11 counties for executions in Texas and a prisoner that was executed in each of those counties.

Top 11 Counties for Executions in Texas and a Prisoner Who Was Executed in That County

Texas is well known for its use of the death penalty with many executions carried out for heinous crimes every year. Which counties have the most in the state? How many have been carried out in East Texas? Let's take a look at the numbers and some of the crimes committed.

Gallery Credit: Google Maps, Texas Department of Criminal Justice