INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO) — Indiana lawmakers are debating whether executions by firing squad should be allowed in cases where lethal injection drugs are unavailable or unusable.
A Senate panel heard testimony Tuesday on Senate Bill 11, authored by Sen. Mike Young (R-Indianapolis), but delayed a vote until next week. The proposal would add the firing squad as an alternative execution method, though lethal injection would remain the default under state law.
“This is not a debate about the death penalty,” Young told the Corrections and Criminal Law Committee, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “The question is what the state does if it cannot carry out a lawful court order using the only method currently allowed.”
Indiana officials have faced increasing challenges obtaining lethal injection drugs, which are expensive, have short shelf lives and are often unavailable due to manufacturers refusing to sell them for executions. State leaders have acknowledged spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on pentobarbital that expired before it could be used.
Young said the bill is meant to provide a “fail-safe option” to avoid last-minute complications. “There’s no way to really test whether the drugs work other than applying them,” he said. “We don’t want to put a person’s life in anguish to find that out.”
How the proposal would work
Under Senate Bill 11, executions by firing squad would be permitted only if lethal injection cannot be carried out or if an inmate requests the method. The bill outlines procedures for a five-member firing squad composed of Department of Correction employees, with identities protected from public disclosure.
Five states currently allow firing squads under limited circumstances, including Utah and South Carolina.
Young emphasized that the proposal does not mandate firing squads but provides an alternative if lethal injection is not an option.
Lawmakers, advocates raise concerns
Some committee members questioned whether firing squads could raise constitutional concerns similar to those that led to the end of electric chair executions.
Sen. Rodney Pol (D-Chesterton) warned that if an execution does not result in immediate death, it could amount to cruel and unusual punishment.
Opponents also criticized the bill’s secrecy provisions. Samantha Bresnahan of the ACLU of Indiana testified that shielding firing squad members’ identities could limit public oversight. “That language is extraordinarily broad,” she said.
Robert Dunham, director of the Death Penalty Policy Project, called the proposal “a solution in search of a problem,” arguing that Indiana should address transparency and accountability issues before expanding execution methods.
What’s next
Indiana currently has five inmates on death row, though one has been ruled incompetent to be executed. Three executions have been carried out in the past year.
Committee Chairman Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis) said lawmakers will consider amendments before holding a vote next week. Young said he expects changes to the bill as discussions continue.
“This is about making sure the state can carry out the law in a way that is orderly, constitutional and humane,” Young said.
