The state of Idaho has revealed exactly how its new firing squad executions will work. Right down to how volunteer police officers will train, where they’ll stand and what happens if the first volley of bullets doesn’t kill the prisoner.
The newly-released procedures come after the state became the first in the US to make the firing squad its default method of execution. Eight inmates currently sit on Idaho’s death row awaiting their fate.
The switch followed the state’s failed attempt to execute convicted murderer Thomas Eugene Creech by lethal injection backin February 2024.
Execution staff spent about an hour trying to establish an intravenous line, puncturing Creech multiple times before eventually abandoning the execution altogether.
The failed execution reignited criticism of lethal injection and prompted lawmakers to make the firing squad Idaho’s primary execution method from July 1.
The state has now published the procedures that will govern every execution, covering everything from selecting volunteer marksmen to confirming whether another volley of shots is needed.
Rather than using specialist prison staff, Idaho will recruit six volunteer law enforcement officers for each execution.
Three officers will fire the fatal shots while two alternates remain on standby. A sixth officer acts as team leader, loading the department’s rifles before directing the execution.
Only the prison director and deputy director will know the identities of the volunteers, which are protected under state law.
The eligibility rules are strict. Officers must have at least three years of Peace Officer Standards and Training certification, must have no disciplinary findings involving firearms or excessive force, and can’t be related by blood or marriage to either the prisoner, the victim or their families.
Before they qualify, each volunteer must repeatedly hit a heart-sized target without missing during firearms testing.
They also won’t simply appear on execution day. Squad members must complete quarterly live-fire training throughout the year before switching to weekly training and repeated full rehearsals once an execution warrant has been signed.
Executions will take place inside the Idaho Maximum Security Institution south of Boise, where taxpayer funds have financed a $1.2 million conversion the execution chamber.
More than $900,000 went on construction work, with architectural design and engineering adding another $314,000.
The state has also bought five Daniel Defense DD5-P rifles for more than $24,000. According to the manufacturer’s website, the rifles are designed to reduce recoil and are ‘engineered for reliability in demanding conditions’.
The execution process begins the day before the scheduled death when the prisoner is offered a mild sedative. A further sedative may also be given several hours before the execution.
The inmate is then escorted into the chamber and strapped into a specially designed execution chair. Medical equipment monitors the prisoner’s heart while a target is placed over the chest.
The prison director reads the death warrant before offering the inmate the chance to make a final statement. Prisoners may also request an eye mask before the shooting begins.
The three shooters then stand about ten yards away behind a protective wall, firing through a narrow opening intended to reduce their exposure to the chamber and lessen the psychological impact on those involved.
Each officer fires a single .308-calibre round towards the prisoner’s heart at the same moment. Medical staff then monitor heart activity using an electrocardiogram for up to two minutes.
If officials determine that the prisoner is still alive, they can authorise a second round of shots before the county coroner formally pronounces death.
Of the eight people currently on Idaho’s death row, seven are men and one’s a woman. All were convicted of murder.
Supporters say firing squads offer a more dependable way of carrying out executions after years of problems with lethal injection drugs and failed procedures across the US.
Opponents argue that changing the method of execution doesn’t answer the wider ethical questions surrounding capital punishment.
Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said: ‘Every new execution method in history has been introduced with the promise that it will be foolproof and “more humane” than the previous method. Unfortunately, those promises have always been broken.’
She also criticised the cost of the project, saying Idaho had spent more than $1 million of taxpayers’ money introducing ‘a firing squad, a method of execution that has already proven to be as flawed as any other’.
Idaho Department of Correction director Bree Derrick defended the plans in a statement to the Idaho Statesman.
She said: ‘The Idaho Department of Correction recognises the gravity of carrying out a court-ordered execution and the responsibility that comes with it.
‘Our procedures are designed to ensure that any execution is conducted in a secure, orderly, and dignified manner while safeguarding the rights of all individuals involved and maintaining the safety and security of staff, witnesses, and the public.’