Arizona’s Attorney General to put hold on executions, pending review

A hold has been put on executions pending the completion of a review of death penalty protocols, which was prompted by Arizona’s history of mismanaged executions. 

The review will examine a range of issues associated with application of the death penalty in Arizona, including procurement of lethal injection gas and drugs, execution procedures, staff training, and media access. The state has been criticised for taking too long to insert IV into death penalty victim’s bodies, and for denying media access to executions. Arizona is also the only US state with an operational gas chamber.

The review was ordered by Gov Katie Hobbs, Arizona’s first Democratic governor since 2009. 

To read more, see this article by Jacques Billeaud.