BOISE, Idaho — Idaho's maximum security prison will begin phase 2 of renovations next week to accommodate the state's new primary method of execution: firing squad.
The Idaho Department of Corrections announced Friday that they are starting construction at the Idaho Maximum Security Institution's F-Block execution unit. The retrofit is expected to take six to nine months to complete.
The renovations come after state lawmakers passed House Bill 37, which designates execution by firing squad as Idaho's primary execution method beginning July 1, 2026.
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During construction, F-Block will be completely offline, making all executions — including those by lethal injection — unavailable until the project is completed.
"The Department is confident it will meet the required timelines and will do so on budget," the press release reads. Once construction finishes, execution team members will need to undergo training to prepare for the first potential firing squad execution in July 2026.
