While it's difficult to name a single definitive "oldest person" as records can vary and inmates age on death row, Viva Leroy Nash (94) was the oldest known inmate on death row when he died of natural causes in 2010, and Walter Moody (83) was the oldest person executed in the U.S. in modern history (2018), highlighting the trend of older individuals serving lengthy death row sentences. More recently, Richard Jordan (78) was set for execution in Mississippi in 2025, and Blanche Taylor Moore (90) was noted as the oldest woman on death row in the U.S. in 2023, showing aging inmates remain common.
John Henry George "Babbacombe" Lee (15 August 1864 – 19 March 1945) was an Englishman famous for surviving three attempts to hang him for murder.
The record for the world's longest-serving death row inmate belongs to Iwao Hakamada of Japan, who spent nearly 50 years on death row for a 1966 quadruple murder before being acquitted in 2024 after a retrial revealed evidence tampering, highlighting a major wrongful conviction case. In the U.S., inmates like Gary Alvord and Brandon Jones also served exceptionally long periods, with Alvord spending almost 40 years before dying, and Jones serving over 36 years before execution, showing long stays are common but Hakamada's case is globally significant due to his exoneration.
Francis Clifford Smith is currently the oldest living prisoner still in jail. Smith is serving a life sentence at the Osborn Correctional Institution for murdering a night watchman named Grover Hart on July 23, 1949. At the time, he was only 23 years old and he has been in prison for 71 years.
The shortest time on death row before execution in modern U.S. history, particularly in Texas, is Joe Gonzales, who spent 252 days (about 8 months) before his execution in 1996, while another notable short time was Steven Renfro at 263 days; these are significantly shorter than the average of over a decade, showcasing how quickly some cases can proceed due to streamlined appeals, though many cases take decades.
Paul Geidel Jr.
(April 21, 1894 – May 1, 1987) was the second longest-serving prison inmate in the United States whose sentence ended with his parole, a fact that earned him a place in Guinness World Records. His record was overtaken by Francis Clifford Smith who survived 70 years, 31 days. Paul Geidel Jr.
Life imprisonment is the most severe criminal sentence available to the courts in Australia.
The death penalty carries the inherent risk of executing an innocent person. Since 1973, at least 202 people who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in the U.S. have been exonerated.
Each day for 50 years, the Japanese boxer Iwao Hakamada woke up unsure whether it would be his last. By Robert F. Worth From the December 2024 issue.
Last woman to be hanged calls for 'truth' in final letter
Nightclub hostess Ruth Ellis, from Rhyl, Denbighshire, was executed on 13 July 1955 after being convicted of murdering her lover David Blakely.
From that day forth, John Lee became "The Man They Could Not Hang" and was also renamed by many as John "Babbacombe" Lee. We now need to look back into John's life to see what led him to this astonishing day's events.
On September 10, 1977, at Baumetes Prison in Marseille, France, Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant convicted of murder, becomes the last person executed by guillotine.
Guillotin's main reason for this was that decapitation using the guillotine would be more humane. The inclined blade would fall so rapidly that death would be almost painless. This was not a new system of execution; it was already in use in other countries, be it with a straight or round blade.
Death Row Records, founded in 1991 by Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., and Suge Knight, emerged as a significant force in the hip-hop industry during the 1990s. Initially supported by Interscope Records, the label gained prominence with the release of Dr.
Around 2,100 prisoners currently face execution in the United States. The national death-row population has declined for 20 consecutive years, as sentence reversals, executions, and deaths by other causes outpace new death sentences.
The shortest time on death row before execution in modern U.S. history, particularly in Texas, is Joe Gonzales, who spent 252 days (about 8 months) before his execution in 1996, while another notable short time was Steven Renfro at 263 days; these are significantly shorter than the average of over a decade, showcasing how quickly some cases can proceed due to streamlined appeals, though many cases take decades.
Robert Bowers, Dylann Roof, and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were the only three prisoners to not have their sentences commuted.
Studies find no meaningful evidence that use of the death penalty deters crime.
Vegemite is banned in some Australian prisons, particularly Victoria's, because inmates used its yeast to brew alcohol and smear it on drugs to confuse narcotics dogs, despite the yeast being inactive. While prisoners argue it's a cultural right and essential for wellbeing, officials cite security concerns over potential homebrew and drug interference, leading to bans under "Contraband" policies, notes The New York Times.
With the abolition of the death penalty in this country, life imprisonment is the most severe penalty available to sentencers. It is a penalty imposed in most cases only for murder.
No, you generally don't receive regular Centrelink payments while in jail in Australia, as they stop when you enter custody; however, you might get a one-off Crisis Payment on release, or continue receiving payments for things like Family Tax Benefit if your children are in your care, or ABSTUDY if you're an Indigenous person studying. Corrective Services informs Centrelink of your imprisonment, ceasing payments, but you can arrange payments like a Crisis Payment for release through a special unit or by contacting Centrelink within 7 days of release.
Mark DeFriest. Mark DeFriest (born August 18, 1960), known as the Houdini of Florida, is an American man known for his repeated escapes from prison, having successfully done so 7 times. Born in rural Florida, he was arrested for the first time in 1978, serving for a year.
Thailand's world record
The world's longest non-life sentence, according to the "Guinness Book of Records", was imposed on Thai pyramid scheme fraudster Chamoy Thipyaso, who was jailed for 141,078 years in 1989.