Death penalty training protocol at heart of current execution delay

Oklahoma has about a month to turn over its death penalty training protocol to attorneys representing inmates on death row as the state continues to work toward a resumption of lethal injections.

Questions about the training given to those conducting executions in the state have been raised since the Department of Corrections released its updated death penalty protocol in February. While much of the protocol was released in detail, sections about the training given to those in the death chamber was sparse.

For instance, under the “Training” heading, the protocol said DOC “will establish protocols and training to enable staff to function in a safe, effective and professional manner before, after and during an execution.” The protocol did not specify what that training would entail.

H Unit, the section of McAlester’s Oklahoma State Penitentiary where death row inmates are housed, would have teams receive one training a week for five weeks prior to an execution, the protocol stated. But again, it did not say what that training would consist of.

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