MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After the third failed execution attempt since 2018 and second in the past two months, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday, Nov. 21, issued a temporary halt on executions until a thorough “top-to-bottom” review of the Alabama Department of Correction’s protocol is performed.
Ivey asked that the pending motions to schedule new execution dates for Alan Eugene Miller and James Edward Barber be withdrawn by Alabama Attorney Gen. Steve Marshall. Miller and Barber are the only two cases before the Alabama Supreme Court awaiting rescheduled execution dates.
The governor also requested that Marshall hold execution dates for other death row inmates until after the review has been completed.
Marshall is expected to release a statement in the coming days.
“For the sake of the victims and their families, we’ve got to get this right. I don’t buy for a second the narrative being pushed by activists that these issues are the fault of the folks at Corrections or anyone in law enforcement, for that matter. I believe that legal tactics and criminals hijacking the system are at play here,” Ivey said.
Ivey did not elaborate on how the legal system or criminals impacted the failure of prison officials to locate veins and start IV lines in the three failed executions.
In 2018 the execution of Doyle Hamm was halted due to the inability to connect the IV line. Hamm’s veins were damaged due to past drug use, lymphoma and hepatitis. He died in prison of natural causes in 2021.
The execution of Alan Miller on Sept. 22, 2022, was called off due to the inability of prison officials to access his veins. On Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith was halted for the same reason.
Commissioner of Alabama State Department of Corrections John Hamm stated, “I agree with Governor Ivey that we have to get this right for the victims’ sake. Everything is on the table – from our legal strategy in dealing with last-minute appeals, to how we train and prepare, to the order and timing of events on execution day, to the personnel and equipment involved. The Alabama Department of Corrections is fully committed to this effort and confident that we can get this done right.”
Copyright 2022 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
