{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-431.220","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 431.220","heading":"Execution of death sentence.","body":"(1) (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, every death sentence\nshall be executed by continuous intravenous injection of a substance or\ncombination of substances sufficient to cause death. The lethal injection shall\ncontinue until the prisoner is dead.\n(b) Prisoners who receive a death sentence prior to March 31, 1998, shall choose\nthe method of execution described in paragraph (a) of this subsection or the\nmethod of execution known as electrocution, which shall consist of passing\nthrough the p risoner's body a current of electricity of sufficient intensity to\ncause death as quickly as possible. The application of the current shall\ncontinue until the prisoner is dead. If the prisoner refuses to make a choice at\nleast twenty (20) days before the s cheduled execution, the method shall be by\nlethal injection.\n(2) All executions of the death penalty by electrocution or lethal injection shall take\nplace within the confines of the state penal institution designated by the Department\nof Corrections, and in an enclosure that will exclude public view thereof.\n(3) No physician shall be involved in the conduct of an execution except to certify\ncause of death provided that the condemned is declared dead by another person.","path":["KRS Chapter 431"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=18610","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:45Z","sha256":"fcecba59c6354bc6902642cc7c227dc7b9b97e26bda24c8dc9a3ad3d5282e214","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-431.218","next":"us-ky/krs-431.223"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}