Hanging Taken Off The Books, Leaving Injection

Lethal injection is now the sole means of execution in Montana.

Legislation to remove hanging as an option was among bills signed into law recently by Gov. Marc Racicot. Supporters of the measure against hanging, House Bill 98, said it was needed to clear the way for more executions in Montana. They said inmates have delayed executions by filing lengthy appeals, some based on claims that hanging is cruel and unusual punishment.

It has been more than 50 years since the last hanging in Montana. The last person executed in the state was Duncan McKenzie, who died by lethal injection in 1995. It was the state’s first execution since 1943.

Some opponents of HB98 said it makes capital punishment less of a deterrent to crime, and others opposed the bill on grounds Montana should eliminate the death penalty, not just one method.