Justice Department death penalty

Washington (dpa) — The US Department of Justice is calling for convicted criminals sentenced to death to be executed by firing squad at the federal level in future, according to a government report issued on Friday.

In the report, Attorney General Todd Blanche argues that other methods of execution should be considered – including execution by firing squad.

This would enable the department to carry out executions even “if a particular method is unavailable,” in what is likely a reference to the substance used in lethal injections.

At present, the death penalty is permitted in more than two dozen of the 50 US states, though several states no longer carry it out in practice.

US President Trump reinstated the death penalty at federal level during his first term in office, but this was halted by his successor, former president Joe Biden, who imposed a moratorium. Blanche now seeks to resume carrying out the death penalty at federal level.

Currently, permitted methods for putting criminals to death include lethal injection, the electric chair and firing squad.

The report said five states allow execution by firing squad: Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Utah.