Tennessee Puts Stop On Performing Executions As It Reviews Lethal Injections

Tennessee has paused its lethal injection execution process until the end of the year in order to have an independent review of its procedures. 

The state had to call off the execution of Oscar Smith an hour before he was due to be killed on April 21, stating an oversight in the process.

Ed Stanton, a former US Attorney, will review the circumstances surrounding the dosage of lethal injection chemicals, as well as the clarity behind the process undertaken by Tennessee Department of Corrections staff, according to The Associated Press.

Governor Bill Lee confirmed that lethal injections would be stopped to allow enough time to investigate the procedure.

AP reports the state 'had failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs were properly tested'.

In a statement, Governor Lee said: "I review each death penalty case and believe it is an appropriate punishment for heinous crimes.

"However, the death penalty is an extremely serious matter, and I expect the Tennessee Department of Correction to leave no question that procedures are correctly followed."

Oscar Smith’s attorneys called for a moratorium on the execution last week and a review of the state’s protocols. 

Governor Lee stated the cancellation of Smith’s execution was ‘due to an oversight in preparation for lethal injection’. 

He continued: “The scheduled execution of Oscar Smith will not move forward tonight. I am granting a temporary reprieve while we address Tennessee Department of Correction protocol.” 

Kelley Henry, a Federal Public Defender from Nashville had pushed for Lee to grant the temporary reprieve after filing a complaint. 

In a statement, she said: “Governor Lee’s decision to pause executions pending an independent review of Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol shows great leadership.

“The use of compounded drugs in the context of lethal injection is fraught with risk. The failure to test for endotoxins is a violation of the protocol. Governor Lee did the right thing by stopping executions because of this breach.”

Lethal injection has been adopted as a more ‘humane’ alternative to the electric chair when inmates are given the death sentence.

Tennessee uses a three-drug process which is meant to put inmates to sleep, paralyse them, and stop the heart - saying that the inmates would be unable to feel the pain.

However, expert witnesses claim the inmates instead feel like they are being drowned and suffocating while being unable to move when the process goes wrong.

Of the seven inmates on death row in Tennessee since 2018, five have chosen the electric chair method instead of lethal injection. 

Smith had been sentenced to lethal injection after killing his estranged wife and teenage sons in Nashville in 1989.