I was just curious why it takes so long for people to be executed once they’ve been sentenced. I feel like sometimes it takes years on years .
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Because it’s such a serious punishment, most jurisdictions that allow it have many procedures that must be followed before it’s carried out. (The subject is already in prison, so not much risk to waiting.) That means that all appeals must be decided before the execution happens. In the US, that often means a series of state court appeals, followed by appeals to federal courts for alleged violations of federal rights. Each one may take months or years to resolve (courts are overwhelmed). It’s not really in anyone’s interest to accelerate this: the convict lives as long as this happens, and they’re already in prison so the state is happy for the time being.
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