The US Department of Justice is taking steps to speed up prisoner executions with measures that include the return of lethal injection and firing squads, according to a report published this Friday, April 24, by the Department of Justice. The federal application of the death penalty was paralyzed during the Administration of Joe Biden, whom the current Executive accuses of "weakening, delaying and dismantling the death penalty."

First modification: 04/24/2026 - 20:50

"Today, the Department of Justice reaffirmed its solemn duty to seek, obtain and implement lawful capital sentences," announced the US Government entity when presenting the report 'On Restoring and Strengthening the Federal Death Penalty' published this Friday, April 24.

The 52-page document details a series of measures adopted "to deter the most barbaric crimes," among which "the readoption of the lethal injection protocol" stands out.

Donald Trump resumed use in his first term (2017-2021), after a 20-year hiatus. Some 13 federal prisoners died from this procedure during his last months in office, before an abolition of this technique in the Joe Biden government.

The Department of Justice report informs of "the expansion of the protocol to include other methods of execution, such as shooting, and the simplification of internal processes to expedite death penalty cases." Five states allow execution by firing squad.

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Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who signs the study's foreword, instructed the Justice Department's Bureau of Prisons to modify its execution protocol "to include additional and constitutional methods that are currently provided for by the law of certain states," such as electrocution, predominant in South Carolina, or the new gas asphyxiation method developed by Alabama in 2024.

The Department of Justice defended being protected by "President Trump's executive order, issued on the first day of his term" to expedite death sentences during his administration in order to "protect public safety."

Read alsoExecutions on the rise: UN warns about increased application of the death penalty

Policy change in the White House

Todd Blanche argued that "the previous Administration failed in its duty to protect the American people by refusing to pursue and apply maximum punishment against the most dangerous criminals." In contrast, he added, "under President Trump's leadership, the Department of Justice is once again enforcing the law and supporting victims."

Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the prisoners awaiting execution on federal death row, where only three men remained. The rest of those sentenced to capital punishment are distributed among the States that still allow this measure.

But in February 2025, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi revoked the moratorium, known as Biden-Garland. Since then, the Justice Department has authorized requests for death sentences against 44 defendants, nine of which have already been authorized by Blanche.

Among those sentenced to death are three members of the Central American gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), two of whom are immigrants in an irregular situation, accused of the murder of a federal witness.

The Justice Department ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to examine the possibility of relocating or expanding federal death row or building an additional facility to allow for other forms of execution.

The crusade in favor of the death penalty declared by the White House will be taken by the Government to Congress, with "a comprehensive legislative proposal that improves public safety and allows justice to be served more effectively to the victims."

As future projects, the Department of Justice asks to consider the prohibition of clemency petitions until the final phases of the judicial process, as well as the imposition of a rule "that empowers states to expedite the federal review of habeas corpus", which, in the opinion of the institution, "would reduce by years the period between conviction and execution."

A mainly state policy

The death penalty remains legal in the United States federal system and in 24 of the 50 states, while 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished it. Three more states have moratoriums in place. That is, they do not apply it in practice, although it is still legal.

Serious crimes can be prosecuted at the state or federal level, although most death sentences come from state courts, while the federal government reserves the death penalty for a limited range of crimes such as certain murders, terrorism, espionage, treason or aggravated drug trafficking.

Federal executions are regulated by the Federal Death Penalty Act (FDPA), incorporated into title 18 of the United States Code, while each capital punishment state has its own statute, subject to constitutional limits set by the Supreme Court.

With these distinctions between States, the imposition of a capital sentence usually follows the same phases: determination of eligibility - in which the Prosecutor's Office evaluates whether the crime fits into any capital category -, notification of intention to seek the death penalty, trial of guilt, sentencing phase and jury decision.

The process includes multiple forms of appeal and mandatory and discretionary judicial reviews, so the execution of the sentence can last even decades. Although the Trump Administration doesn't want it to be that bad.

With Reuters and local media

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