Tennessee, two top officials were recently fired after an independent report revealed numerous errors in the state’s lethal injection system. the report, commissioned by republican governor bill lee, found that none of the lethal injections used in the seven executions since 2018 were tested for contaminants. additionally, a separate report from the death penalty information center found that more than one-third of executions in the us in 2022 were botched or highly problematic.
Events occurred in may when governor lee paused executions and called off the execution of inmate oscar smith an hour before he was scheduled to be put to death. in response, the non-profit death penalty information center, which takes no position on capital punishment, reported that executions were visibly problematic due to incompetence, failures to follow protocol or defects in the protocols themselves. in response, governor lee requested the independent report, which was released in december, and arizona’s democratic governor katie hobbs ordered a review of death penalty protocols on friday.
Report revealed several major errors and highlighted the fact that none of the lethal injections used were tested for contaminants. in response, arizona’s attorney general kris mayes put all executions on hold until the review is completed. california, oregon, and pennsylvania have called for a moratorium on executions, while 27 us states still allow the death penalty. governor hobbs said the review will analyse arizona’s execution procedures and training of staff.
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