Idaho is opening a new phase in the administration of capital punishment in the United States, returning to the firing squad as the default method of execution. The decision reintroduces a system that has been abolished or abandoned in most of the country and is now being reorganized through a formal and highly structured framework.
The new death penalty protocol
State authorities have begun recruiting volunteer law enforcement officers to take part in executions. The operational model includes three primary shooters assigned to carry out the execution, two alternates, and one operations coordinator. All participants will remain anonymous, known only to the prison warden and deputy warden.
To qualify, candidates must be certified Idaho law enforcement officers and meet peace officer training standards. Applicants with disciplinary records involving excessive use of force or firearms are excluded, as are individuals with familial ties to inmates or victims. The protocol also includes marksmanship qualification tests requiring repeated hits on a target roughly the size of a human heart.
From a failed lethal injection to new legislation
The legislative shift follows a failed lethal injection execution in 2024, a case that reignited debate over capital punishment procedures in the state. Subsequently, two bills reinstating the firing squad were signed into law by Republican Governor Brad Little, who is seeking a third term. The legislation, initially delayed to allow prison infrastructure upgrades, has now been implemented with the establishment of the new execution system.
Capital punishment in the United States
The death penalty remains legal in parts of the United States, but its use has declined sharply over the past two decades. The system is highly fragmented, with each state setting its own rules, procedures, and scope of application, while federal executions remain rare.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 24 executions were carried out in 2023, among the lowest figures in decades. That same year, there were about 21 new death sentences, compared to more than 300 annually in the early 2000s. In 1999, executions peaked at over 90.
Geographically, the use of capital punishment has also narrowed. Today, 25 states formally retain the death penalty, but executions are concentrated in a much smaller number of jurisdictions, with Texas historically leading.
In terms of methods, lethal injection remains the primary procedure, but several states have introduced or reinstated alternatives such as the electric chair and nitrogen hypoxia. The choice depends on state law and, in some cases, prison operational capacity, resulting in a highly uneven national landscape.
System structure and costs
Executions will take place at the maximum-security facility south of Boise, which has been fully renovated for the new procedure. The project cost more than $1.2 million to refurbish the execution chamber, along with approximately $900,000 for structural work and $314,000 for design and engineering services.
The system also includes new equipment: the state has purchased five precision rifles along with optics and supporting equipment. The firearms are described by the manufacturer as designed for reliability and reduced recoil under demanding operational conditions.
Final procedures
Inmates scheduled for execution will receive a mild sedative on the day of the procedure, administered in some cases hours in advance based on medical assessment. Under the new protocol, overall coordination will be handled by selected personnel responsible for direct operational supervision.
Source: lavocedinewyork.com, Zoe Anadreodi, July 3, 2026
"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted."
— Oscar Wilde
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