Alabama says its not ready to execute by nitrogen hypoxia

By KIM CHANDLER
Associated Press

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s prison commissioner said the state is not ready to carry out an execution by nitrogen hypoxia. Alabama Corrections Commissioner John Q. Hamm said in a Thursday court filing that the state cannot execute an inmate next week by nitrogen hypoxia. A federal judge had ordered the state to clarify if the state was ready to implement the new execution method. The Alabama prison system said the state has completed many of the preparations, but the protocol is not yet complete. The state said prison staff will also need to be trained before it is used.