Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution (“being on death row”), even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists. In the United States, after an individual is found guilty of a capital offence in states where execution is a legal penalty, the judge will give the jury the option of imposing a death sentence or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. It is then up to the jury to decide whether to give the death sentence; this usually has to be a unanimous decision. If the jury agrees on death, the defendant will remain on death row during appeal and habeas corpus procedures, which may continue for several decades. Opponents of capital punishment claim that a prisoner’s isolation and uncertainty over their fate constitute a form of psychological abuse and that especially long-time death row inmates are prone to develop a mental disorder, if they do not already suffer from such a condition. This is referred to as the death row phenomenon. Estimations reveal that five to ten percent of all inmates on death row suffer from mental illness. Some inmates may attempt suicide. There have been some calls for a ban on the imposition of the death penalty for inmates with mental illness and also case law such as Atkins v. Virginia to further this. Executions still take place for those with clear intellectual disabilities due to poor legal representation and high standards of proof.
You may have heard of last meals on death row, but what about last words? From bizarre food puns to bone-chilling declarations, the world has heard a number of spine-tingling last words from some of the most brutal convicts throughout history.
Some Examples
Thomas J. Grasso
Execution date: Mar. 20, 1995
Convicted of: Strangling an elderly woman with her Christmas lights, stealing $8 from her purse and $4 found in her home, selling her TV for $125; murdering an elderly man, and stealing his social security check.
Last words: “I did not get my Spaghetti Os, I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this.”
George Appel
Execution date: Aug. 9, 1928
Convicted of: Shooting and murdering a police officer after robbing a restaurant in Brooklyn.
Last words: “Well, gentlemen, you are about to see a baked Appel.”
James French
Execution date: Aug. 10, 1966
Convicted of: Killing a motorist who picked him up as a hitchhiker in West Virginia;
he was given the death sentence, though, after killing a fellow inmate
Last words: “How about this for a headline for tomorrow’s paper? French fries.”
Sarah Good
Execution Date: Jul. 29, 1692
Convicted of: Witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts
Last words: “I am no more a witch than you are a wizard, and if you take away my life, God will give you blood to drink.”
Saddam Hussein
Execution Date: Dec. 30, 2006
Convicted of: Crimes against humanity
Last words: “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is God’s messenger.”
Aileen Wuornos
Execution Date: Oct. 9, 2002
Convicted of: Shooting to death and robbing seven of her male clients while working as a prostitute in Florida
Last words: “I’d just like to say I’m sailing with the Rock and I’ll be back like ‘Independence Day’ with Jesus, June 6, like the movie, big mother ship and all. I’ll be back.”
Now that you`ve read some rather chilling and humorous words, I would like you to delve into your darkness and envision yourself as a criminal on death row, (or death looming in some sort of confinement, it doesn’t necessarily have to be a generic prison, you can change that, if desired).
It can be of any period, location or time
Exercise 1 — I`d like to hear your encounters and emotions upon death row. Explain why you`re also there, tell me about your heinous crime/s.
Spend 15 minutes on this first exercise
Exercise 2 — Your time has come for execution. What would your last meal request be, or maybe you’re starving yourself? What are your final words?
Also, choose the method that brings your demise—burnt at the stake, electric chair, lethal injection, gas chamber, hanging, firing squad?
Spend 15 minutes on this next exercise
Paul Simpkins – September 2023
Huddersfield Authors Circle 
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