All judges in New Hampshire are appointed by the governor, subject to confirmation by the executive council; appointments are to age 70, with retirement compulsory at that time. The state's highest court, the supreme court, consists of a chief justice and four associate justices. The main trial court is the superior court for which there were 28 judges in 1999.
New Hampshire's total crime rate in 2001 was 2,321.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, including a total of 2,144 violent crimes and 27,089 property crimes in that year. In June 2001, there were 2,323 inmates in state and federal correctional facilities, an increase of 3.1% over the previous year. The state's incarceration rate stood at 184 per 100,000 inhabitants.
New Hampshire imposes the death penalty but has executed only one person since 1930. No prisoners were under sentence of death in 2003.