The US Department of Justice has announced measures to simplify the use of the death penalty at the federal level. In particular, shooting is officially included in the list of permitted methods of execution.
This method of execution is already legal in five states – Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah.
As reported in official press release departments, the use of lethal injections of pentobarbital has also been reinstated. The drug was widely used during President Donald Trump’s first term, when 13 executions were carried out, but was later dropped by Joe Biden’s administration over concerns that the substance was causing unnecessary suffering to those indicted.
In an official report, the Trump administration rejected the conclusions of its predecessors that pentobarbital is inhumane, saying that scientific evidence confirms the rapid loss of consciousness and the absence of pain with its use. transmits AP.
The Ministry of Justice noted that internal procedures will also be simplified to speed up the consideration of cases in which death sentences have been imposed.
The new measures come in response to a moratorium by the previous administration, during which Joe Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 prisoners to life sentences. There are currently only three people remaining on federal death row, but the current administration is already planning to seek capital punishment for 44 defendants.
The Trump administration explains the reform of death penalty procedures by the need to ensure public safety. The measures also aim to prevent “the most serious crimes” and bring justice to victims’ families.
“The previous administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to prosecute and impose capital punishment on the most dangerous criminals, including terrorists, child killers and police killers. Under President Trump’s leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and supporting victims,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The Ministry of Justice also stated that convicts may be given the opportunity to choose the method of execution.
March 7, 2025 in the United States for the first time in 15 years executed through execution. The person executed was 67-year-old Brad Keith Sigmon, who killed his ex-girlfriend’s parents in 2001. He chose this method of death himself, refusing injections and the electric chair.
