02-01-2007 3:53 PM — Governor Bredesen issued an executive order this afternoon, staying all executions for 90 days and asking that the Tennessee Department of Corrections perform "a comprehensive review of the manner in which the death penalty is administered."
According to the order issued by the Governor's office this afternoon, procedures for both lethal injections and electrocutions will be reviewed by, among others, experts from the legal, scientific, medical, and corrections fields. Additionally the governor has asked that the DOC review practices of other states.
In the last year, many have criticized death penalty methods after a string of botched procedures. One such example was the Florida execution of Angel Diaz, where the lethal injection was stuck through the vein and directly into his muscle tissue. As a result he had to receive a second dose. An autopsy revealed chemical burns in both his arms.
Both current execution protocols for the procedures have been revoked, and Bredesen wants the new protocols no later than May 2nd. Until then the four inmates currently scheduled to die before that date (Michael Joe Boyd a/k/a Mika'eel Abdullah Abdus-Samad, Edward Jerome Harbison, Daryl Keith Holton, and Pervis T. Payne) have been granted reprieves that will remain in place until May 2nd.
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