U.S. moves to introduce new methods for executions

The United States is considering adding alternative methods for carrying out federal executions. Due to difficulties in obtaining drugs for lethal injections, proposals include the use of firing squads, electrocution, and gas.

According to a report published by Reuters on Friday (April 24), the shortage of necessary drugs has long complicated the use of lethal injections. In this context, authorities are exploring alternative options.

A report by the U.S. Department of Justice has recommended these methods. It instructs the Bureau of Prisons to include firing squads, electrocution, and gas in the list of legally approved execution methods. Notably, the state of Alabama carried out an execution using gas for the first time in 2024.

The report says that adding alternative methods would allow executions to proceed even when specific drugs are unavailable. However, it may take several years before the new methods are implemented.

Earlier, toward the end of his first term in 2021, President Donald Trump’s administration resumed federal executions. Within a few months, 13 inmates were executed by lethal injection. In contrast, only three federal executions had been carried out in the previous 50 years.

Currently, the Justice Department under the Trump administration is seeking the death penalty in cases involving more than 40 defendants across the country. None of these cases have yet reached a final stage.

In the report’s introduction, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the previous administration’s moratorium weakened the federal death penalty system and had long-term impacts on victims and their families.