DOJ Expands Federal Execution Methods to Include Firing Squad, Gas Asphyxiation and Electrocution
48-page memo outlines expanded capital punishment options as Trump administration reverses Biden-era clemency
L'essentiel
- The US Department of Justice has directed federal prisons to expand execution methods to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation and electrocution, alongside lethal injection.
- The memo released Friday aims to strengthen the death penalty for the most serious crimes, ensuring executions can proceed even if specific drugs are unavailable.
- The move reverses Biden-era policies, with former President Biden having granted clemency to 37 of 40 federal death row prisoners before leaving office.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
Lethal injection has been the default method for federal executions since 1993 but has faced criticism as cruel and has encountered drug sourcing challenges. The previous administration placed a moratorium on most federal executions.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has directed federal prisons to expand the range of methods used for executions to include firing squads, gas asphyxiation and electrocution. The department said in a 48-page memo released on Friday that this will "strengthen" the death penalty, "deterring the most barbaric crimes, delivering justice for victims and providing long-overdue closure to surviving loved ones".
The previous administration had placed a moratorium on most federal executions. Before leaving office, former President Joe Biden gave clemency to 37 of the 40 federal death row prisoners. It has been the default means for federal executions since 1993 but has faced criticism by campaigners as being a cruel means of execution, while there have been challenges in recent years in sourcing the drug. Broadening the means of executions "will help ensure the department is prepared to carry out lawful executions even if a specific drug is unavailable", the DOJ said in an accompanying report.
Trump is a long-time supporter of the death penalty. In his first term, he ended a 20-year moratorium on executions committed by the federal government. Thirteen death row inmates were executed during that term. On his first day back in office in January 2025, he signed an executive order directing the death penalty to be pursued again "for all crimes of a severity demanding its use", as well as in cases in which an illegal immigrant kills a law enforcement officer.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche argued in a statement that "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, including terrorists, child murderers and cop killers". "Expanding the federal death penalty will be a stain on our history," he said in a statement on X.
Some states, which each have their own laws regarding the death penalty, have already turned to alternative methods.
Questions ouvertes
- Which specific drugs are unavailable and causing the need for alternative methods
- How many federal death row prisoners remain after Biden's clemency
- What specific criteria will determine which execution method is used
