BOISE, Idaho — Idaho lawmakers passed a bill this week that could make the state the first in the nation to adopt a firing squad as the primary method of execution.
With this vote, Idaho is one step closer to allowing firing squads as the main execution method. The Idaho Department of Correction confirms that preparations are underway to implement the new method.
In 2023, the Idaho legislature allocated $750,000 to remodel the execution chamber at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution to accommodate firing squads. Officials indicate that the execution chamber is undergoing a phased retrofit.
Phase one, which included imaging, design, and engineering, was completed last summer. Phase two will involve a full renovation of F-Block, but until that construction is complete, the state will not be able to carry out any executions by any method. This means that, for now, Idaho's death penalty remains on hold.
Supporters of the bill argue that the change is necessary, citing ongoing legal challenges and logistical hurdles with lethal injections. Senator Kelly P. Ricks, the bill’s sponsor, pointed to delays caused by lawsuits over the use of certain drugs and Idaho’s failed attempt to execute death row inmate Thomas Creech last year.
"There have been endless motions filed in federal court by the attorneys representing the convicted death row inmates and all related to the fears of prolonged and painful death due to lethal injection. Some of the stays have been tied up for decades in courts because of that process," Ricks said.
Ricks and other supporters insist the firing squad is more humane. "Because it is quick and certain, it brings justice for the victims and their families in a more expeditious manner," he added.
Opponents, however, disagree. Republican Senator Dan Foreman, who has served in the military, argues that this method is anything but humane. "Projecting a piece of metal at 3,200 feet per second, give or take, through the human body is anything but humane. I can say that because I've seen it. I wished I hadn't seen it," Foreman said.
Others, including Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow, argue that the bill is a step in the wrong direction. "Because I do believe society is judged on how we do treat prisoners, regardless of how heinous they act. And they should be punished. But I am suggesting that we shouldn't get tied up in the retribution of that as state government," Wintrow said.
