Death row is the name given to the area of a prison in which inmates facing the death penalty are housed. The inmates who are "on death row" or who are living in the death row section of the prison could either be simply awaiting execution or they may be trying to get an appeal. However, if they are in this part of the prison, then they have been given a death sentence by a court of law
Just as there are different sections in an office building or on a college campus, prisons have different sections as well. They have cafeterias, yards, different housing units, etc. Death row is the section where the inmates who are facing execution live. The types of criminals who are on death row are typically murderers or criminals who have committed some other type of heinous crime. In some states the death penalty is abolished. Not every state has a death row section. However, many states still do have this type of punishment, and therefore, a death row area of their prisons.