Inside the death chamber at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. (Photo provided by the Indiana Department of Correction)
Hoosier prison staffers, the condemned’s friends and family members, and the victims’ family members may soon witness the state of Indiana’s first execution since 2009. But it’s likely that no independent witnesses will be included.
Joseph Corcoran, who killed four people in 1997, is scheduled to be executed Dec. 18 . In Indiana, the death penalty is only available for the crime of murder. It will also be the state’s first time killing a prisoner with pentobarbital instead of a traditional three-drug cocktail.
But public information on how it goes will come exclusively from the Department of Correction. That’s because Indiana law, in contrast to other states, doesn’t allow for media or other independent witnesses.
There were 13 federal executions during the last six months of Donald Trump’s first presidential term and reporters were allowed to witness them.