Overview
- The change took effect July 1 when Idaho formally designated firing squads as its primary way to carry out death sentences.
- The Idaho Department of Correction spent about $1.2 million to retrofit a chamber, bought .308 rifles and published step‑by‑step procedures that include a three‑shooter team, alternates, a team leader, a target over the heart, a mild sedative and EKG monitoring.
- The state will recruit anonymous volunteer law‑enforcement officers who must have at least three years of POST certification, no serious disciplinary findings related to force or firearms, and no family ties to the inmate or victim.
- Eight people are on Idaho’s death row and could be subject to the new default method, with executions to be carried out at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution and a coroner pronouncing death after medical checks.
- The move follows years of drug shortages and a failed 2024 lethal‑injection attempt and could prompt court challenges, ethical debate and interest from other states facing execution‑drug limits.