More than 170 religious leaders in Alabama have signed a letter urging Gov. Kay Ivey to authorize an independent review of the state’s execution procedures after three failed lethal injections since July 2022, according to the document delivered to her Montgomery office Tuesday. .
Although Governor Ivey ordered executions in the state to be suspended in November until the Alabama Department of Corrections completed a review, the letter requested that she designate a group outside the state prison system to conduct the review. ADOC is the same agency that carries out executions.
“The fact is that an agency that has repeatedly failed to put its own house in order cannot be trusted to privately conduct an investigation into the problems it is causing,” they wrote, adding that the review should be open and not “covert”. in secret”.
Referring to recent reviews in Oklahoma and Tennessee under similar circumstances, the group recommended Alabama continue its work, as it was a “model for independent review.”
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FILE – A stretcher in a state execution chamber. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
The leaders also responded to a statement by ADOC Commissioner John Hamm, who reportedly said the state’s procedural review will be completed within a month or two.
“For now, we ask for transparency, accountability, and humility in the way the State of Alabama assumes responsibilities that involve all residents of this state, indeed, all citizens living under this government,” they wrote.
The letter cited the May 2022 example of Tennessee, where Gov. Bill Lee authorized a third-party review of its procedures after acknowledging that the state failed to ensure its lethal injection drugs were properly tested. A former federal prosecutor took over the review, finding that the state had failed to comply with its own lethal injection procedure since its 2018 review, resulting in seven executions between 2018 and 2022 that did not follow state protocols.
Those findings were released to the public in December and a review is now underway, so changes can be implemented.
A similar review was conducted in Oklahoma after a botched execution in 2014 and again in 2015 revealed that the state used an unauthorized drug. An independent bipartisan commission completed a “top-down” review of the death penalty process in 2016, identifying 46 issues that needed to be addressed. The results were published in 2017.
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Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey speaks during a visit to Woodstock, Alabama on March 15, 2022. (REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage)
In November, when ordering the execution to be halted and reviewed, Ivey said: “For the sake of the victims and their families, we have to get it right.”
In a statement sent to the Associated Press, Ivey’s spokeswoman, Gina Maiola, said it is the state’s responsibility to uphold the law and ensure justice when an execution is carried out.
“This is a responsibility Governor Ivey takes very seriously, and as she has made abundantly clear along the way, this review will continue to be transparent as appropriate while protecting confidential information,” Maiola told AP.
Last month, the Alabama Supreme Court granted Ivey’s request for more time to carry out executions after the midnight deadline for death sentences expired.
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Alabama’s last two executions in November and September were called off due to difficulties accessing the veins, ultimately resulting in the expiration of the death sentences. Doyle Hamm’s execution in 2018 was also canceled for the same reason. Hamm’s lawyer at the time said his client had damaged her veins due to lymphoma, hepatitis and drug use in the past.
The state completed an execution in July, but only after a three-hour delay caused by the same IV line connection problems.
FILE – The sun sets behind Holman Prison in Atmore, Alabama, on January 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
The large group of religious leaders ultimately “applauded” Ivey’s decision to stop the executions and order an investigation, but reiterated their call for a “comprehensive, independent, external review” of the state’s death penalty procedures.
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“Now is the time to ensure that the values we share are not set aside and that the ethical treatment of ‘the little ones’ includes all of human creation, including the men and women on Alabama’s Death Row” , concluded the letter.
Fox News Digital has reached out to ADOC and Gov. Kay Ivey’s office for comment on the letter.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
