Ohio Suspends Executions until 2017

Ohio state has suspended executions until at least 2017 as it struggles to acquire the lethal drugs needed to carry out death sentences.

The move affects 12 inmates who were set to die between now and early 2017.

According to Ohio officials, the delay will give the state more time to acquire the proper drugs.

As many as 25 Ohio inmates who are set to die after January 2017 could see their executions pushed back as well.

Many pharmaceutical companies have refused to sell the deadly drugs, causing states to delay lethal injections or seek other drug mixtures to carry out executions.

Several states have also approved alternative means of execution in response to the shortages.

In March, Utah reinstated the firing squad in the event lethal injection drugs are unavailable.

In April, Oklahoma approved the use of the gas chamber as an alternate execution method in addition to lethal injection and electrocution.

However, Oklahoma’s three impending executions have been put on hold after prison officials nearly administered the wrong lethal injection drug to a death row inmate in September.

Executions in Arkansas have also been suspended after eight death row inmates challenged a new state law that would allow Arkansas to keep its sources of lethal injection drugs secret.

In May, Nebraska lawmakers decided to abolish the death penalty, partly because of possible legal challenges.

Nebraska joined 18 other states and the federal district of Washington, DC, in banning capital punishment.