Arizona to resume executions as early as next year

YUMA COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Arizona could resume executions by next year.

According to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Arizona could start executing prisoners as early as 2025.

Mayes said, in a press release Tuesday, that her office has been working almost the entire year to resume executions.

The state put executions on hold when Governor Katie Hobbs ordered a review and Mayes filed a motion to withdraw the only active execution request.

The last execution in the state was in November of 2022.

Governor Hobbs' office released the following statement saying:

"The governor remained committed to upholding the law while ensuring that justice is carried out in a way that's transparent and humane. The Arizona Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry (ADCRR) has conducted a thorough review of policies and procedures, and made critical improvements to help ensure executions carried out by the state meet legal and constitutional standards."

Since 1976, 40 people in Arizona have been put to death, and there are currently 111 people on death row in Arizona, including three women.