Why Does Indiana Not Just Get Rid of The Death Penalty?

 Let me disclose that once upon a time I had a partner who did death penalty cases.

'A hell of a lot less expensive' than lethal injection: Could Indiana approve firing squads? (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

With lethal injection drugs proving both costly and difficult to obtain, a growing number of Republican lawmakers and state officials are pushing for an alternative: the firing squad.

Lethal injection is currently the only method of execution authorized under Indiana law.

Requiring that death penalty defendants be represented by two attorneys qualified by experience and training has done a pretty job of reducing death penalty cases by making them a very costly proposition. Then, too, the death penalty stature limits its reach to only a certain class of cases. I do not have the stats, but I think it is a fair bet that most death penalty cases arise from either killing a police officer or mass killings. 

But Republican House Speaker Todd Huston told the Capital Chronicle this week that his caucus hasn’t had any serious discussions about firing squads or other changes to Indiana’s death penalty law.

So, nothing will happen soon. Remember, Republicans control our General Assembly.

He said earlier this year that a bill filed by Republican Rep. Bob Morris — which originally sought to abolish the state’s death penalty statute  — included “language … that was very interesting to me.” But Bray similarly said at that time that no formal discussion had taken place within the Senate GOP caucus.

Although Morris’ bill never received a committee hearing in the House and ultimately died, it garnered support from several GOP lawmakers, including Sen. Liz Brown, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.

 And our Lieutenant Governor is a Pastor, always making much of his Christian values.

He posted on social media in June that firing squads are “much cheaper than lethal injection” and that “Indiana should follow Idaho’s lead on this,” referencing that state’s 2023 law authorizing firing squads when lethal injection drugs are unavailable.

Rep. Andrew Ireland shared Beckwith’s post on X with the comment: “Stay tuned.”

Ireland told the Capital Chronicle he’s also working on new legislation to authorize alternative execution methods, including the firing squad.

“Some crimes are so horrific, so depraved, that the only just sentence is death,” Ireland said. He specifically cited Ward, who was convicted in 2007 for the rape and murder of 15‑year‑old Stacy Payne. 

“What’s missing now isn’t justice — it’s a responsible, workable method to carry it out,” Ireland continued.

I have always thought redemption was a tenet of my religion.

What moves me against the death penalty is having dealt with juries in criminal cases, I learned they are flawed like everything human - you can read the cases where people have been wrongly executed (or just imprisoned) - and the dead have no means of appealing a wrongful execution.

sch