Oklahoma has had one of the busiest death chambers in the country for decades, executing more people per capita than any other state since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that death sentences could resume.
But after a botched lethal injection in 2014 and drug mix-ups in two scheduled executions in 2015, the state faces a long delay before executions could resume. Other states have put moratoriums in place because of shortages of key drugs or growing opposition to the death penalty. But Oklahoma's problems stem from the inability of prison officials to carry out executions as planned.
Oklahoma's new Attorney General Mike Hunter says new execution protocols are being finalized and he remains confident executions can and will be carried out again.