The Idaho Department of Correction has published step-by-step procedures governing how firing squad executions will be carried out as the state prepares for a July 1, 2025 implementation date — making Idaho the first state in the country to designate the firing squad as its primary method of execution.

How the Process Will Work

Under the newly released procedures, a condemned inmate receives a last meal no later than 7 p.m. the evening before the execution. A first sedative is administered by 11 p.m. that same night, with a second sedative given no more than four hours before the execution is carried out.

A target is affixed to the inmate’s chest over the heart, and the inmate is offered the option of an eye covering. The Ada County Coroner or a deputy coroner is responsible for officially pronouncing death after the execution concludes.

Firing Squad Composition and Equipment

The firing team consists of three active members, two alternates, and one team leader. All members must be volunteers holding Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification for at least three years, with no disciplinary actions in the past year involving firearm use or use of force. No member may have a legal or blood relationship with the victim, the victim’s family, the condemned inmate, or the condemned’s family.

The approved firearm is the Daniel Defense DD5-P, fitted with a scope, suppressor, and bipod. Approved ammunition is .308 caliber or 7.62 110-grain rounds, at a cost of $4,843.94 per rifle. The team leader loads one live round into each of three separate magazines for each weapon, and each shooter receives one firearm and three magazines. The team leader then calls a cadence so all members fire simultaneously.

Facility Renovations Underway

To prepare for the new method, IDOC announced in June 2025 that it is retrofitting its F-Block execution facility. The two-phase project carries a combined price tag exceeding $1.2 million — with the first phase of design and engineering costing $313,915 and the second phase of physical renovation budgeted at $910,802.

Why Idaho Changed Course

The shift to firing squad as the state’s primary method grew out of years of difficulty carrying out lethal injections. In 2022, IDOC was unable to obtain the necessary drugs, and a death warrant for inmate Gerald Pizzuto expired without execution. Two years later, the execution of Thomas Creech had to be called off after staff made eight failed attempts to establish an IV line.

In response, the legislature in 2023 first authorized the firing squad as a secondary method when lethal injection drugs were unavailable. Governor Brad Little then signed legislation in 2025 elevating firing squad to the primary method — a first among U.S. states.

Idaho’s Death Row

Idaho currently has eight inmates under sentence of death. Among the most high-profile is Chad Daybell of Rexburg, sentenced to death for the murders of his former wife Tammy Daybell and two children — Tylee Ryan, 16, and J.J. Vallow. Daybell’s co-defendant, Lori Vallow-Daybell, is serving a prison sentence in connection with the same case.

The new procedures represent a significant shift in how Idaho approaches capital punishment — one driven primarily by practical obstacles with lethal injection rather than a philosophical change in the state’s approach to the death penalty. The July 1 implementation date falls alongside several other notable policy changes taking effect in Idaho, including a new bathroom law that has left some business owners seeking guidance on compliance.

Whether any executions will be scheduled in the near term remains to be seen, but the release of detailed operational procedures signals that state corrections officials are moving forward with preparation in earnest.