BOISE, Idaho – The State of Idaho won’t execute any condemned inmates until at least July 2026, as the state reinstates the firing squad as an option for execution.
Idaho lawmakers passed House Bill 37, which designates firing squad as the primary form of execution instead of lethal injection.
The law goes into effect July 1, 2026.
The Department of Corrections is working now to retrofit an area of the Idaho Maximum Security Institution to accommodate this change.
“As of May 23, 2025, F-Block will be taken completely offline due to construction,” IDOC said in a statement posted to its website. “As a result, all executions and execution-related procedures will be unavailable, including execution by lethal injection.”
States like Idaho have struggled to carry out lethal injection in recent years because it’s getting more difficult to obtain the chemicals.
Earlier this year, the state halted the lethal injection of inmate Thomas Creech after eight failed attempts to establish an IV line through which to administer the drugs.
IDOC says it will take six to nine months to get the area of the prison ready, then the state will need time to train the execution team.
“The Department is confident it will meet the required timelines and will do so on budget,” IDOC says.
Five states allow for execution by firing squad, but this change makes Idaho the only state where the firing squad is the primary form of execution.
Nine people are currently on death row in Idaho, eight men and one woman.
The death penalty has been in the spotlight in Idaho in recent months, as Bryan Kohberger faces the death penalty if convicted of killing four University of Idaho students in 2022.
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