Gov. Mike Braun said he’s open to a discussion about the future of capital punishment in Indiana.
The cost of purchasing the drug used for lethal injection is a big part of what’s prompting the conversation.
Indiana used the last of its stock of a lethal injection drug last month to execute Benjamin Ritchie. And Braun said he’s not currently planning to purchase more.
“Something that costs, I think, $300,000 a pop that has a 90-day shelf life, I’m not going to be for putting it on the shelf and then letting them expire,” Braun said.
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Braun noted that South Carolina expanded its death penalty methods to include firing squad and electrocution.
“And the whole question of capital punishment — I think there’s going to be a lot of discussion on it,” Braun said. “There are legislators that wonder if it’s still relevant. I’m going to listen to them, the courts and the broader discussion in general.”
There are six men currently on death row in Indiana.
Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5 .
