Alabama Execution of Joe Nathan James Marred by Failures to Set IV Line, Embarrassing Dress-Code Controversy, and Disrespect of Victim’s Family

Alabama put Joe Nathan James, Jr. to death on July 28, 2022 against the wishes of his victim’s family in an execution marred by an hours-long failure to set a lethal-injection intravenous line and an embarrassing dress-code controversy in which a corrections official told a female reporter she would not be able to witness the execution because her skirt was too short and she was wearing open-toed shoes and subjected another female reporter to a clothing inspection.

The daughters and brother of Faith Hall had asked Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to stop the execution, saying it would further victimize the family. When their request was denied, the Halls released a statement saying, “We pray that God allows us to find healing after today and that one day our criminal justice system will listen to the cries of families like ours even if it goes against what the state wishes. Our voices matter and so does the life of Mr. Joe Nathan James, Jr.”

The execution was scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. Central time, but for reasons ADOC refused to explain it was delayed for three hours. After hours of cryptic evasions of reporters’ questions about the delay, ADOC issued a statement obliquely indicating that the execution team had experienced troubles setting the IV-line. “As Commissioner John Hamm stated last night, when carrying out the ultimate punishment, we have protocols that lay out a very deliberate process to make sure the court’s order is carried out correctly,” the statement said. “ADOC’s execution team strictly followed the established protocol. The protocol states that if the veins are such that intravenous access cannot be provided, the team will perform a central line procedure. Fortunately, this was not necessary and with adequate time, intravenous access was established.”

The execution put Alabama in the international spotlight when an ADOC corrections official informed award-winning AL.com reporter Ivana Hrynkiw that she could not enter the prison to witness the execution because a skirt that she had worn while witnessing three prior executions was “too short.” As reported in newspapers in England and New Zealand, a male cameraman from a different media outlet provided Hrynkiw a pair of fishing waders with suspenders, after which the corrections official said she could not wear open-toed shoes in the facility because they were “too revealing.” Hrynkiw then retrieved a pair of tennis shoes from her car. The corrections official also subjected veteran Associated Press reporter Kim Chandler to a clothing inspection before deeming her attire acceptable.

On July 29, AL.com sent a formal complaint to ADOC, Gov. Ivey and Attorney General Marshall. Kelly Ann Scott, editor in chief and vice president of content for Alabama Media Group blasted ADOC for what she called “unacceptable, unequal treatment.” “This was sexist and an egregious breach of professional conduct. And it should not happen to any other reporter again,” Scott said.

Associated Press Executive Editor Julie Pace sent a letter to Gov. Ivey saying that “[s]ingling out female reporters for arbitrary clothing inspections is humiliating, discriminatory and simply unacceptable behavior toward professional journalists trying to cover one of the most serious events they are called upon to witness.” Pace asked Ivey to investigate ADOC’s conduct to “ensure such behavior is not tolerated and does not occur again.”

ADOC released a statement on the afternoon of July 29 saying that ADOC regulations contain “a dress code for all visitors including reporters covering executions” that each ADOC facility enforces “based on each event and current safety conditions.” Without admitting wrongdoing, ADOC said, “We apologize for any confusion or inconvenience this regulation may have caused” and said it would include reference to the dress code in future media advisories to “avoid this kind of situation.”

The execution marked the second time since 2018 that Alabama execution personnel had significant problems setting an IV line. In February 2018, execution personnel unsuccessfully attempted for two-and-a-half hours to establish intravenous access to execute Doyle Ray Hamm. ADOC commissioner Jeff Dunn ultimately called off the execution saying prison personnel did not have “sufficient time” to find a suitable vein in which to place the intravenous execution line before the death warrant expired. At a news conference immediately thereafter, Dunn repeatedly asserted the state had followed its execution protocol, and said “I wouldn’t characterize what we had tonight as a problem.”

The Halls initially had intended to be come to the prison to observe for James’ last statement but indicated that they did not want to stay for the execution itself. An ADOC official informed them that would not be permitted to leave, reportedly saying, “Once you’re in, you’re in.”

Gov. Ivey refused to intervene in the case despite the Halls’ opposition to the execution, telling reporters that she and her staff had “researched all the records and all the facts and there’s no reason … to modify the outcome.” In pleadings before the U.S. Supreme Court, Marshall derided James’ reference in his motion to stay his execution to the the Halls’ opposition to his being put to death as “nothing more than a naked attempt to delay his lawful execution.”

Through the office of State Representative Juandalyn Givan, the Halls released a statement saying: “Today is a tragic day for our family. We are having to relive the hurt that this caused us many years ago. We write to inform you that we have decided to not attend the execution of Mr. Joe Nathan James Jr. We’ve asked Governor Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall to hear our voices and respect our wishes. We know they decided not to. … Although we knew this day would come, we hoped to have our voices heard through this process.”

Source: Death Penalty Information Center, Staff, July 29, 2022

🚩 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.

Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Saudi Arabia executed 356 people in 2025, highest number on record

Analysts attribute increase to kingdom’s ‘war on drugs’ as authorities kill 356 people by death penalty Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year. Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh’s “war on drugs”, with some of those arrested in previous years only now being executed after legal proceedings and convictions. Official data released by the Saudi government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in 2025 alone, according to a tally kept by Agence France-Presse.

The US reporter who has witnessed 14 executions: ‘People need to know what it looks like’

South Carolina-based journalist Jeffrey Collins observed back-to-back executions in 2025 after the state revived the death penalty following a 13-year pause Jeffrey Collins has watched 14 men draw their final breaths. Over 25 years at the Associated Press, the South Carolina-based journalist has repeatedly served as an observer inside the state’s execution chamber, watching from feet away as prison officials kill men who were sentenced to capital punishment. South Carolina has recently kept him unusually busy, with seven back-to-back executions in 14 months.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Georgia parole board suspends scheduled execution of Cobb County death row prisoner

The execution of a Georgia man scheduled for Wednesday has been suspended as the State Board of Pardons and Paroles considers a clemency application. Stacey Humphreys, 52, would have been the state's first execution in 2025. As of December 16, 2025, Georgia has carried out zero executions in 2025. The state last executed an inmate in January 2020, followed by a pause due to COVID-19. Executions resumed in 2024, but none have occurred this year until now. Humphreys had been sentenced to death for the 2003 killings of 33-year-old Cyndi Williams and 21-year-old Lori Brown, who were fatally shot at the real estate office where they worked.

Burkina Faso to bring back death penalty

Burkina Faso's military rulers will bring back the death penalty, which was abolished in 2018, the country's Council of Ministers announced on Thursday. "This draft penal code reinstates the death penalty for a number of offences, including high treason, acts of terrorism, acts of espionage, among others," stated the information service of the Burkinabe government. Burkina Faso last carried out an execution in 1988.

Iran | Executions in Shiraz, Borazjan, Ahvaz, Isfahan, Ardabil, Rasht, Ghaemshahr, Neishabur

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO); December 23, 2025: Mahin Rashidi, Abbas Alami, Naser Faraji, Tohid Barzegar and Jamshid Amirfazli, five co-defendants on death row for drug-related offences, were secretly executed in a group hanging in Shiraz Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, four men and a woman were hanged in Shiraz (Adel Abad) Central Prison on 17 December 2025. Their identities have been established as Mahin Rashidi, a 39-year-old woman, Abbas Alami, 43, Naser Faraji, 38, Tohid Barzegar, 51, and Jamshid Amirfazli, 45, all Kashan natives.

M Ravi, the man who defied Singapore regime's harassment, dies

M Ravi never gave up despite the odds stacked against him by the Singapore regime, which has always used its grip on the legal process to silence critics. M Ravi, one of Singapore's best-known personalities who was at the forefront of legal cases challenging the PAP regime over human rights violations, has died. He was 56. The news has come as a shock to friends and activists. Singapore's The Straits Times reported that police were investigating the "unnatural death".

California | Convicted killer Scott Peterson keeps swinging in court — but expert says he’s not going anywhere but his cell

More than two decades after Laci Peterson vanished from her Modesto, California, home, the murder case that captivated the nation continues to draw legal challenges, public debate and renewed attention. As the year comes to a close, Scott Peterson, convicted in 2004 of murdering his pregnant wife and their unborn son Conner, remains behind bars, serving life without the possibility of parole. His wife disappeared on Christmas Eve in 2002, and a few months later, the remains of Laci and Conner were found in the San Francisco Bay.

USA | Justice Department Encourages New Capital Charges Against Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners

On Dec. 23, 2024, former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. commuted the sentences of nearly all federal death row prisoners, sparing 37 men from execution. Just 28 days later, on Jan. 20, 2025, newly inaugurated President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order encouraging state and local prosecutors to pursue new charges against those same prisoners, reopening the possibility of capital punishment in state courts.

Singapore | Prolific lawyer M Ravi, known for drug death-penalty cases, found dead

Ravi Madasamy, a high-profile lawyer who represented death-row inmates and campaigned against capital punishment, was found dead in the early hours, prompting a police investigation into an unnatural death KUALA LUMPUR — Prolific Singapore lawyer Ravi Madasamy who tried to save Malaysian drug traffickers from the gallows found dead in the early hours with police investigating a case of unnatural death. Lawyer Eugene Thuraisingam, who had previously represented 56-year-old Ravi in court and described him as a friend, said he was deeply saddened by the news.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog