Newly-elected Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs today announced an executive order to establish a Death Penalty Independent Review Commissioner.
Hobbs’ office says the position is aimed at transparency into the state’s procurement process of lethal drugs and gas chamber chemicals. The Commissioner will also review execution protocols, staffing considerations and training by the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, & Reentry. They will then issue a final report that includes recommendations for improvement in accountability and safety of the execution process.
The state has faced controversy in the past over its handling of lethal injections, including at least one instance where the procedure took hours to complete.