The Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections has finalized a protocol allowing death row inmates' sentences to be carried out using the nitrogen hypoxia method, as announced by Gov. Jeff Landry. This new protocol comes after a 15-year pause and is based on a method already in place in Alabama.
The executions will take place at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, with the facility responsible for overseeing all aspects of the process. The condemned person will have the opportunity to communicate with a spiritual adviser and designated victim relationship witnesses will be present.
Once in the death chamber, medical monitors will be attached to the inmate to assess vital signs. The inmate will be given the chance to make a final statement before a specialized mask for administering nitrogen is fitted. The coroner will confirm the death, followed by a statement from the warden.
Alabama recently executed a man using nitrogen gas, marking the first use of this method in the US since 1982. Louisiana's Protocol for Executions of Death Sentences includes procedures for the nitrogen hypoxia method, approved by the state legislature with bipartisan support.
Approximately 60 inmates are on death row in Louisiana, but legal challenges and drug shortages have stalled executions. The state also has electrocution as a sanctioned method, last used 34 years ago.
There is no set date for the first execution under the new protocol, as death penalty cases often face lengthy litigation. State Attorney General Liz Murrill and State Rep. Debbie Villio have expressed support for resuming executions, emphasizing justice for victims of heinous crimes.
