RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers will discuss a bill Tuesday that would give death row inmates the option to choose between three execution methods: lethal injection, electrocution, or firing squad.
Under the state's current law, death row inmates can only be executed via lethal injection. House Bill 270, if passed, would also make death by electrocution and firing squad available choices. The inmate would need to decide between these three options, in writing, two weeks before their execution date. If a choice has not been made by this deadline, then the execution will be carried out via electrocution.
There hasn’t been a death row inmate execution in North Carolina since 2006. Experts say executions have been put on hold amid lawsuits challenging death sentences in the state.
There are currently 120 offenders on the state's death row roster.
Nine Republican lawmakers introduced House Bill 270 on March 3. According to the General Assembly's legislative calendar, lawmakers are set to discuss and review the bill at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
