Idaho delays scheduled executions to 2026, prepares for firing squads
May 28, 2025, 1:01 PM
The front of the Idaho State Correctional Institute. (Photo Courtesy of Idaho Department of Corrections)
(Photo Courtesy of Idaho Department of Corrections)
Idaho is preparing its facilities for firing squad executions and has put its current execution schedule on hold until 2026.
As of July 1, 2026, firing squad executions will be the primary method of execution in Idaho, complying with House Bill 37. The Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) is prepared to begin the next phase of modifications to the F-Block at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution to implement this method, according to IDOC.
“As of May 23, 2025, F-Block will be taken completely offline. All executions, including execution by lethal injection, will be unavailable during this time,” IDOC posted on X.
This revision sets aside Idaho’s current lethal injection execution.
The current estimate provided by IDOC is approximately six to nine months, and will need additional time to conduct training exercises in preparation for the first firing squad execution.
9 on death row amid Idaho firing squad development
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The current death row population is nine, according to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC).
However, the IDOC has not executed a prisoner on death row in the last 13 years; the last execution occurred in June 2012, according to The Spokesman-Review.
Brian Kohberger, accused of killing four University of Idaho Students, is also up for the death sentence in Idaho pending his upcoming trial.
IDOC has conducted three lethal injection executions since 1976.
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