Idaho starts remodel for the firing squad chamber. Here’s what it’ll cost

Idaho will spend more than $900,000 to renovate its execution chamber to accommodate a firing squad as its lead method, state prison officials told the Idaho Statesman.

The Idaho Department of Correction (IDOC) announced in late May its plans to begin construction on a remodel project without detailing the cost. This decision aligns with a July 2026 deadline set by a legislative bill passed in March, which prioritizes the firing squad as the primary execution method. Governor Brad Little signed this bill into law, building upon a 2023 law he approved that established the firing squad as a backup to lethal injection and allocated $750,000 for construction. No new funds were included in the latest legislation, as the IDOC is expected to cover the cost difference through other budget savings.

The estimated cost of the project is $911,000, which is about $42,000 less than a previous estimate from last year. Officials noted that the higher prior estimate would have allowed for expedited construction, completing the project in three to four months. However, the IDOC now anticipates the project, overseen by the Idaho Division of Public Works, will take between six and nine months. This construction effectively takes the execution chamber offline, including for lethal injections, leading the state prison system to pause all possible executions until early 2026. This pause also addresses a federal injunction against carrying out the death penalty until changes are made to the room where lethal injection drugs are prepared and administered. IDOC spokesperson Sanda Kuzeta-Cerimagic stated she was unaware of the reasons behind the approval of the longer construction timeline.

The expense to this is getting to be considerable. You can build a gorgeous, gorgeous mansion for $1 million, and I don’t know why a firing squad facility is costing so much.

The injunction, which was ruled in favor of in April, resulted from a lawsuit filed by three news outlets, including the Statesman, seeking improved witness access to executions based on First Amendment grounds. The Attorney General’s Office, representing the IDOC, has appealed this decision to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. When Idaho’s new law takes effect next year, it will make the state the only one in the U.S. to use a firing squad as its main execution method. While four other states—Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Mississippi—also have the firing squad as an option, none use it as their primary method. Notably, South Carolina upgraded its execution chamber in 2022 to include a firing squad at a cost of $54,000 and has executed two prisoners by this method this year, marking the first use of the firing squad in the U.S. in nearly 15 years.

Idaho's estimated construction cost has drawn criticism from lawmakers opposed to the new law. Representative John Gannon, D-Boise, expressed concern during the bill’s debate, stating, "The expense to this is getting to be considerable. You can build a gorgeous, gorgeous mansion for $1 million, and I don’t know why a firing squad facility is costing so much." The push for this legislative change came after Idaho’s first-ever failure to execute a prisoner in February 2024. Prison officials attempted to execute Thomas Creech, the state’s longest-serving death row inmate, but were unable to find a suitable vein for a lethal injection IV. Creech, now 74, remains in legal limbo on death row. Eight other individuals convicted of murder, including one woman, constitute the rest of Idaho’s death row population.

Source: idahostatesman.com, Kevin Fixler, June 2, 2025

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

— Oscar Wilde

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