The U.S. Department of Justice has expanded the methods available for federal executions to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution. According to BBC, a 48-page memo released on Friday stated that this expansion will 'strengthen' the death penalty.
Key Takeaways
The U.S. Department of Justice has expanded federal execution methods to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation, and electrocution. This move comes after President Biden commuted most death row sentences, leaving only three inmates facing capital punishment.
- DOJ directs federal prisons to expand execution methods
- Firing squads, gas chambers, and electrocution now permitted
- Only three inmates remain on federal death row after Biden's clemency
- Trump administration seeks to ramp up capital punishments
The move comes after former President Joe Biden granted clemency to 37 of the 40 federal death row prisoners before leaving office, reducing the number of inmates facing capital punishment. The Trump administration has directed the DOJ to resume seeking executions and has criticized the prior administration for not pursuing the death penalty against dangerous criminals.
The memo defends the use of lethal injection, calling pentobarbital 'the gold standard of lethal injection drugs'. Thirteen death row inmates were executed during Trump's first term. The Justice Department will adopt firing squads as a permitted method of execution, with only three defendants remaining on federal death row after President Biden converted 37 sentences to life in prison.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, 'The prior administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and carry out the ultimate punishment against the most dangerous criminals.' Five states currently allow executions by firing squad: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma. The policy document takes aim at former President Joe Biden for implementing a moratorium on federal executions.
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