Indiana resumes death penalty after 15-year pause

Noon Edition

Indiana is resuming executions after a 15-year pause.

Joseph Corcoran who was convicted of murder, is scheduled to be executed on Dec. 15.

It's also the first time the state will administer the execution with the drug pentobarbital, the same used in federal executions.

Read more: Death penalty foes rally against plans to restart Indiana executions

Eight men are on death row in Indiana. The last state execution was Matthew Eric Wrinkles in 2009.

The break in state executions has been attributed to the unavailability of drugs to use in the lethal injections.

Since then, 13 federal prisoners have been executed in the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute under Donald Trump's administration.

Read more: Media unlikely to witness Indiana’s first execution in 15 years

The taxpayer cost of a death penalty case, including jury trial, incarceration, and execution is more than $750,000. The cost of a life sentence without parole is about $185,000.

This week on Noon Edition, hosts Bob Zaltsberg and George Hale will talk with guests who are deeply involved with the death penalty issue.

Join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to [e-mail].

You can also record your questions and send them in through email.

Guests

• Bill Breeden, Minister, civil activist and spiritual advisor
• Sister Helen Prejean, Catholic nun, author of Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate
• Elizabeth Bruenig, opinion writer for the Atlantic