Arizona is halting executions pending a review of the state's death penalty procedures. The pause comes in the wake of a series of botched and mishandled executions—a pattern going back more than a decade.
"It's time to address the fact that this is a system that needs better oversight on numerous fronts," Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said in a Friday press release. "Arizona has a history of mismanaged executions that have resulted in serious questions and concerns about [the Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation, and Reentry's] execution protocols and lack of transparency."
