The state’s execution chamber at the prison complex south of Boise is under construction to accommodate shooting condemned prisoners to death by next summer. A new law that prioritizes a firing squad goes into effect starting July 2026. Lethal injection will remain the backup option.

But the Idaho Department of Correction aims to limit direct participation from correctional officers, agency spokesperson Blake Lopez told the Idaho Statesman.

“We have not yet procured a remote-operated system but are actively exploring available options,” he said by email. “A remote-operated system is preferred, as it would allow executions by firing squad to be carried out with minimal involvement from our staff.”

Rep. Bruce Skaug, R-Nampa, who sponsored the bill that sets up the state’s transition to a firing squad, told the Idaho Statesman he has concerns that remote-operated firearms could falter the day of an execution. He advocated for the new execution method after Idaho prison officials were unable to execute a prisoner for the very first time, by lethal injection, in 2024.

Archived at https://archive.is/IZLMl

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    33·
    13 days ago

    Who says you get one in the head?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_shot

    A mercy shot is a final shot delivered in an execution. It follows after at least one original shot intended to mortally wound or kill the victim.[1

    https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/execution/firing-squad/

    Although each firing squad member must fire, one of the shooters usually receives a gun with a blank. This ensures that no one in the group is able to know for sure which of them fired the fatal round. On several occasions, the condemned party has been hit by several bullets and lived. When this happens, a final shooter dispatches the person at close range.

    • StinkyFingerItchyBum@lemmy.caEnglish
      16·
      13 days ago

      But who says you get one? From your own link:

      The use of the mercy shot is not universal; due to limited compassion for the victims or due to limited available ammunition, some execution victims are left to die of their wounds or are simply buried alive, without a mercy shot.