The State Senate of Virginia approved a bill on Monday permitting the state to bring back executions through the use of an electric chair. The condition of the bill permits the use of an electric chair for death row prisoners whenever drugs used for lethal injection is unavailable.
Reported by NBC News, the bill signed on Monday would mean that inmates scheduled for execution could be facing electrocution once lethal injection drugs are not provided by the state. After going through a heated debate, 22-17 vote led to the passing of the bill with the majority of the Republican Senate. The bill had previously obtained approval by the House and is currently awaiting the signature of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. It is still unclear whether or not the Governor will be signing the bill. Despite arguments, however, the bill seems determined to become a law in the state.
With the passing of this bill, Virginia, along with eight other states, will allow the use of electrocutions in executions. Mashable has reported that, inmates are currently given the choice of opting for the use of lethal injection or the electric chair. Once inmates do not choose one, lethal injection is administered. With the bill in place, however, these inmates will have to face the electric chair once drugs are unavailable.
Washington Post shares that, the main cause for the scarcity of drugs used in lethal injections is because drug companies in the recent years have protested to using these drugs in executions. As a result, these drugs have been difficult to come across and have led states to opt for an alternative chemical. In some cases, unfortunately, this has resulted to a botched execution.
Convicted killer Rick Gray is set for execution in the state of Virginia on March 16th. Aside from Gray, six other inmates are on death row.
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