Investigation on Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol comes to end

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An independent investigation on Tennessee’s lethal injection protocol has come to an end.

Governor Bill Lee halted a lethal injection in April after learning the drugs hadn’t been tested as required, leading to the independent investigation.

Governor Lee has now announced several changes will be made at the Tennessee Department of Corrections to ensure the department adheres to established protocol. This after former U.S. Attorney Ed Stanton turned over his independent investigation report to the governor earlier this month.

According to a press release, staffing changes will be made at the department’s leadership level, a permanent TDOC Commissioner will be hired in January, the lethal injection protocol will be revised, and training will take place for the new protocol.

Five executions were put on hold during the investigation.

The Supreme Court will now be responsible for setting new execution dates.

The independent investigator’s report has been released to the public. To look over the report yourself, click here.

For more news across the state, click here.