Georgia lethal injection spending topped $1.1 million since pandemic, records show

The short version

• Georgia has paid over $1.1 million since the COVID-19 pandemic to at least one contractor assisting with lethal injections.[ProPublica]
• Over the past decade, the state Corrections Department has averaged more than $150,000 annually on lethal injection expenses.[ProPublica]
• Legal experts attribute the elevated costs to growing difficulties in finding contractors willing to aid executions.[ProPublica]
• The state recently scheduled an execution for September 16 after the Georgia Supreme Court cleared a pause on capital punishment.[ProPublica]

Key facts

• Georgia has spent over $1.1 million since the COVID-19 pandemic for at least one contractor assisting the Corrections Department with lethal injections.[ProPublica]
• The Georgia Corrections Department's lethal injection-related expenses have averaged over $150,000 annually across the past decade.[ProPublica]
• State officials have maintained that secrecy statutes are essential to shield execution contractors from harassment by death penalty opponents.[ProPublica]
• Georgia scheduled an execution for September 16 after the state Supreme Court lifted an order pausing executions.[ProPublica]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• This State Is Spending More on Lethal Injections. A Law Tries to Keep the Details Secret.ProPublica