Does Wisconsin have the death penalty?
Fully abolished
Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1853.
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin.
Nearby states
- Minnesota
- Fully abolished Minnesota abolished the death penalty in 1911.
- Iowa
- Fully abolished Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965.
- Michigan
- Fully abolished Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1847.
- Illinois
- Fully abolished Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.
- South Dakota
- Retained / in use The death penalty is legal and executions are not suspended.
- Indiana
- Retained / in use The death penalty is legal and executions are not suspended.
Other laws in Wisconsin
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Euthanasia
- Illegal
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Gun Laws
- Permissive
- Cannabis
- Illegal
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.