WESTVILLE — As Indiana lawmakers prepare to revive debates over capital punishment methods, corrections officials have confirmed that the state’s newest correctional complex is already built to accommodate firing squad executions—a method not yet legal under state law.
The Indiana Department of Correction (DOC) confirmed that the nearly completed Westville Correctional Facility in Northwest Indiana has been designed to accommodate both lethal injection and firing squad executions. Currently, lethal injection is the only legally authorized execution method in Indiana.
The facility’s design comes as Indiana faces a total exhaustion of its execution drug supply. According to newly released DOC records, the state currently possesses zero pentobarbital—the sedative used in its three most recent executions.
Indiana resumed executions in December 2024 after a year-long hiatus, executing Joseph Corcoran, followed by Benjamin Ritchie in May 2025 and Roy Lee Ward in October 2025. Since the resumption, the state has spent at least $1.275 million secretly acquiring pentobarbital.
Governor Mike Braun acknowledged that procuring lethal injection drugs has become an increasingly expensive and cloaked process.
“It’s not an open, transparent process,” Governor Braun said regarding drug procurement. “Which begs the question, why should you be dependent on [lethal injection]?”
While state Rep. Jim Lucas (R-Seymour) plans to reintroduce a bill in January 2027 to legalize firing squads, Attorney General Todd Rokita has already voiced his support, stating his office is ready to help draft the legislation and defend its constitutionality in court.
Indiana’s legislative decisions carry heavy weight for federal death penalty protocols. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced plans to add firing squads as an authorized federal execution method to reduce reliance on single-drug lethal injections.
Because the nation’s federal execution facility is located at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, federal law generally binds execution methods to what is permitted by the host state. The DOJ is currently evaluating whether to construct a second federal execution facility or move federal death row to a state that allows alternative methods.
| States Currently Authorizing Firing Squads | States with Firing Squad Fallback Laws |
|---|---|
| • Idaho • Mississippi • Oklahoma • Utah • South Carolina | • Florida • North Carolina • Tennessee (If lethal injection is ruled unconstitutional) |
Next Steps for Indiana Death Row
Despite the forward-looking design at Westville, legal experts warn that any shift to firing squads would face heavy resistance. Robert H. McKinney School of Law said he doesn’t think it will go anywhere fast because of “procedural hiccups” and “court tie-ups”.
In the meantime, the state faces an immediate test of its existing protocols. Attorney General Rokita is currently asking the Indiana Supreme Court to set an execution date for death row inmate Jeffrey Weisheit, convicted in the 2010 murders of two children. If approved, the state will have to find a way to secure the necessary lethal injection drugs to carry out the sentence at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City.
