March 23, 2015 – Utah Reauthorizes Use of Firing Squad for the Death Penalty

On this day in history, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed legislation reauthorizing the state to use the firing squad in the event that the drugs required for lethal injection are unavailable. Before this, the firing squad was an option, but was only allowed for inmates who chose this method prior to its elimination in 2004.

Lethal injection remains the primary execution method for Utah and the 31 other U.S. states that allow the death penalty as a punishment for certain murders.

Nevertheless, the death penalty remains controversial, most notably because between 1973 and November, 2018, 164 people were exonerated from Death Row according to the Death Penalty Information Organization (DPIC). (You can check their website for updates. Interestingly, they report that all exonerations were based on DNA findings.)

For inclusion on DPIC’s “Innocence List,” defendants must have been convicted, sentenced to death and subsequently either-
 
a. Been acquitted of all charges related to the crime that placed them on death row, or

b. Had all charges related to the crime that placed them on death row dismissed by the prosecution, or

c. Been granted a complete pardon based on evidence of innocence.

No one from Utah is on their list of those exonerated; most of the persons on the list are from the South. It is unclear, however, if more people are exonerated from some states because those states have organizations to challenge the sentences; if there have been no challenges in Utah; or because no challenges in Utah have been successful.

Data as of Dec 2022 via deathpenaltyinfo.org

You can find out the rather gruesome details of the Utah process for execution by firing squad here.