Idaho has become the first state in the nation to designate the firing squad as its primary method of execution, with the change taking effect July 1 after completion of a renovated chamber at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution south of Boise.
The Idaho Department of Correction finished retrofitting the execution unit in F-Block at the maximum-security prison near Kuna, with construction and related costs exceeding $1.2 million. The project, which began in May 2025, allows the state to carry out executions by firing squad using trained, POST-certified law enforcement officers rather than volunteers. Lethal injection remains available as a backup option.
The shift follows years of challenges with lethal injection. In February 2024, officials halted an execution attempt on death row inmate Thomas Creech after medical personnel could not establish an IV line. Lawmakers responded with legislation in 2023 and 2025, including House Bill 37 signed by Gov. Brad Little, making the firing squad the primary method while providing time for facility upgrades and training.
Idaho currently has eight people under sentence of death—seven men at the Boise-area prison and one woman at the Pocatello Women’s Correctional Center. The new procedures include detailed training requirements and operational guidelines released by the Department of Correction ahead of the July 1 effective date.
The change has sparked debate among advocates, faith leaders, and legal experts over costs, methods of capital punishment, and concerns about past firing squad executions in other states. Idaho joins a small number of states that authorize firing squads under certain circumstances, but it is the only one to make it the default method.
No executions have occurred in Idaho in more than a decade, and the state paused all execution-related procedures during the chamber renovations. Officials say the new setup provides a reliable option while maintaining protocols designed for security and dignity.
The Idaho Department of Correction continues to handle all aspects of the death penalty process under state law.
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