Does Maine have the death penalty?
Fully abolished
Maine abolished the death penalty in 1887.
Maine is classified “Fully abolished” for the death penalty, as are 23 of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. For the United States as a whole, the classification is “Retained / in use”.
Source
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read from the source’s state-by-state coverage; the topic is published only once hand-verified reference states match it.
Across the United States
- Retained / in use 16 states.
- Not used in practice 11 states.
- Fully abolished 23 states and the District of Columbia, including Maine.
Nearby states
- New Hampshire
- Fully abolished New Hampshire abolished the death penalty in 2019.
- Vermont
- Fully abolished Vermont abolished the death penalty in 1964.
- Massachusetts
- Fully abolished Massachusetts abolished the death penalty in 1984.
- Rhode Island
- Fully abolished Rhode Island abolished the death penalty in 1984.
- Connecticut
- Fully abolished Connecticut abolished the death penalty in 2012.
- New York
- Fully abolished New York abolished the death penalty in 2004.
Other laws in Maine
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Euthanasia
- Assisted dying only
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Sex Work
- Buying illegal (Nordic model)
- Gun Laws
- Permissive
- Cannabis
- Legal
The death penalty in the United States → · Which countries have the death penalty? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.