Preceden

History of Corrections Timeline

(Ancient civilizations–Present)

The history of corrections traces how societies have punished crime, confined offenders, and developed systems focused increasingly on rehabilitation, deterrence, public safety, and restorative justice. Less

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Execution methods

Florida adopts the electric chair

1923

In 1923, the Florida Legislature replaced hanging with electrocution and placed future executions under state jurisdiction inside prisons.

Executions move under state jurisdiction

1923

The 1923 law required all future executions to be performed under state jurisdiction inside prisons.

Electric chair is housed at Union Correctional Institution

1923 - 1962

Florida's new electric chair was originally housed at Union Correctional Institution.

Electric chair moves to Florida State Prison

1962

The electric chair was moved from Union Correctional Institution to Florida State Prison in 1962.

Florida's electric chair draws controversy

1990 - 1999

The electric chair became the subject of intense controversy in the 1990s after three executions were labeled botched by opponents.

Florida proposes alternative execution methods

Mar 2025

A March 2025 bill proposed allowing firing squad, nitrogen gas, or other constitutionally allowable methods if lethal-injection drugs were no longer available.

Executions and clemency

Florida records 33 documented double executions

1924 - 2026

Florida conducted 33 documented double executions between 1924 and 2026.

Florida records its first double execution

1924

Florida's documented history includes double executions beginning in 1924.

Frank Johnson is first electrocuted

Oct 7, 1924

Frank Johnson became the first person executed by electrocution under Florida's new execution system.

Florida grants 57 commutations

1925 - 1965

Between 1925 and 1965, Florida granted 57 commutations among 268 capital cases.

Florida conducts its last pre-Furman execution

May 12, 1964

Florida carried out its last execution before the Furman-era interruption on May 12, 1964.

Florida commutes its death row

1972

All 96 Florida death-row inmates—95 men and one woman—were commuted to life in prison after the 1972 ruling.

Florida grants six post-1972 commutations

1972

Since the death penalty was re-instituted in 1972, Florida has granted only six commutations, all during Governor Bob Graham's administration.

Florida records 140 executions since 1976

1976 - 2026

Since 1976, Florida has executed 140 convicted murderers, all at Florida State Prison.

Gary Gilmore is executed in Utah

Jan 17, 1977

Gary Gilmore was executed in Utah on January 17, 1977, the first U.S. execution since 1967.

Image source: Gary Gilmore

Gary Gilmore is executed in Utah

John Arthur Spenkelink is executed

May 25, 1979

Florida electrocuted John Arthur Spenkelink on May 25, 1979. It was the second execution in the United States since 1967, after Gary Gilmore's execution.

Jesse Tafero is executed

1990

Jesse Tafero's 1990 execution was one of the Florida electric-chair executions that received substantial media attention and was labeled botched by opponents.

Pedro Medina is executed

1997

Pedro Medina's 1997 execution became part of the controversy surrounding Florida's electric chair.

Allen Lee Davis is executed

1999

Allen Lee Davis's 1999 execution was the third widely publicized Florida electric-chair execution of the decade described by opponents as botched.

Florida breaks its post-Furman execution record

Jul 31, 2025

With its ninth execution of 2025 on July 31, Florida broke its record for the most executions in a post-Furman year.

Florida executes Dusty Ray Spencer

Jun 25, 2026

Dusty Ray Spencer was executed on June 25, 2026, for the 1992 murder of his ex-wife, Karen.

Florida executes Dennis Michael Sochor

Jul 14, 2026

Dennis Michael Sochor was executed on July 14, 2026, for the 1981 rape and murder of Patricia Gifford.

Florida conducts its most recent double execution

Jul 28, 2026

James Aren Duckett and Dominick Anthony Occhicone Jr. were both executed for murder on July 28, 2026.

Dominick Occhicone becomes Florida's oldest executed person

Jul 28, 2026

At age 80, Dominick Anthony Occhicone Jr. became Florida's oldest executed person on July 28, 2026, for the 1986 murders of his ex-girlfriend's parents.

Death penalty law

Execution law is challenged in Union County

Jun 1929

The circuit court of Union County challenged Florida's electrocution law, arguing that the prison superintendent could not perform executions because he was neither elected nor appointed.

Florida Supreme Court upholds execution law

Nov 1930

Florida's supreme court upheld the electrocution law after the Union County challenge.

Florida death penalty is halted after Furman

1972

Following the 1972 decision associated with Furman v. Georgia, the imposition of the death penalty at the same time as a guilty verdict was held unconstitutional.

Image source: Furman v. Georgia

Florida death penalty is halted after Furman

Death penalty is re-instituted in Florida

1972

Florida re-instituted the death penalty in 1972 through its newly written statute.

Florida drafts a new death penalty statute

Aug 12, 1972

Florida became the first state to draft a newly written death penalty statute after the 1972 constitutional ruling.

Kennedy v. Louisiana invalidates capital child rape provision

2008

The U.S. Supreme Court found a provision allowing capital punishment for sexual battery unconstitutional in the 2008 case Kennedy v. Louisiana.

Governor Scott signs the Timely Justice Act

Jun 14, 2013

Governor Rick Scott signed Florida's Timely Justice Act on June 14, 2013.

Image source: Capital punishment in Florida

Governor Scott signs the Timely Justice Act

Florida death penalty law is struck down

2014

In Florida, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of the death penalty law, holding that a judge alone could not determine the aggravating facts used to impose a death sentence.

Florida limits the 2014 ruling's application

2014

The state supreme court later held that the ruling applied only to defendants sentenced by a non-unanimous jury from 2002 to 2014.

Florida revises death sentencing procedure

Mar 2014

In March 2014, the Florida Legislature provided for a 10-juror supermajority to issue a death sentence.

Florida Supreme Court requires unanimous juries

Oct 2014

The Florida Supreme Court struck down the 10-juror law in October 2014, finding that death sentences could only be handed down by a unanimous jury.

Florida eliminates unanimous jury requirement

2023

After the court reversed its earlier finding, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 450 in 2023, replacing the unanimous-jury requirement with a minimum two-thirds vote, or eight of twelve jurors.

Florida allows child sexual abuse death sentences

May 2023

Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill in May 2023 allowing the death penalty for defendants convicted of sexually abusing a child younger than 12.

Florida proposes death penalty for child trafficking

Apr 2025

A bill proposed in April 2025 would introduce the death penalty for human trafficking of a child younger than 12.

Recent developments

Florida reports 237 people awaiting execution

Sep 10, 2026

As of September 10, 2026, 237 offenders were awaiting execution in Florida.

Key Facts

  1. Ancient societies commonly relied on corporal punishment, exile, fines, slavery, and execution rather than imprisonment as the primary response to crime.
  2. Early prisons were often used to hold people awaiting trial, punishment, or transportation rather than to rehabilitate offenders.
  3. The Enlightenment inspired reformers such as Cesare Beccaria and John Howard to advocate for proportional punishment, humane treatment, and improved prison conditions.
  4. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of penitentiaries, including the Pennsylvania and Auburn systems, which emphasized isolation, discipline, and labor.
  5. Modern corrections combines incarceration, probation, parole, community supervision, treatment programs, and restorative justice, while continuing to debate rehabilitation and mass incarceration.

Source

This History of Corrections timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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