LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Nebraska prison workers have received the training needed to execute prisoners using lethal injection protocol, but the state is still waiting on the drugs.
Nebraska Department of Correctional Services Director Robert Houston discussed the state’s readiness for an execution on Wednesday, after state officials publicly unveiled the new execution chamber.
There is a worldwide shortage of an anesthetic used in lethal injections. But the lack of drugs is not expected to delay executions in Nebraska because anticipated legal challenges could put capital punishment on hold for several years.
Lawmakers replaced electrocution with lethal injection following a 2008 state Supreme Court ruling that the electric chair was cruel and unusual punishment.
