Tennessee Single-Drug Lethal Injection Protocol

Tennessee’s modern lethal-injection system is built around pentobarbital as a single execution drug. The state first announced a single-drug protocol in 2013, later used a three-drug alternative, then returned to a revised single-drug procedure after a major review completed in December 2024.

The 2024 revision

The Tennessee Department of Correction said the revised protocol was developed after executions were paused in 2022 and after an independent review of execution procedures. The department announced in December 2024 that the revised process would use pentobarbital. Executions resumed in 2025.

Problems in 2026

The protocol faced two very different problems in 2026. In May, Governor Bill Lee granted Tony Von Carruthers a reprieve after execution personnel could not establish a required backup IV line and an attempted central line was unsuccessful.

Four months later, the Christa Pike execution created a much more serious challenge. On September 30, the department said it had followed every step of the established protocol and that the protocol did not allow additional procedures. Pike nevertheless survived and was taken to a hospital.

Why the distinction matters

An execution halted because an IV cannot be placed is a failed execution attempt, but it is procedurally different from an execution in which the state proceeds with drug administration and the prisoner survives. That distinction is one reason the Pike case quickly became historically important.

Renewed review

After the Pike execution, Tennessee halted additional executions for the remainder of 2026 and ordered further investigation. The resulting record may determine whether the state changes its drug, IV procedures, staffing, monitoring or other parts of the protocol.

Sources

– Tennessee Department of Correction — TDOC Completes Lethal Injection Protocol Review, December 2024 – Tennessee Department of Correction — Death Penalty in Tennessee – Office of the Governor — Tony Von Carruthers reprieve, May 2026 – Tennessee Department of Correction — Christa Pike execution advisory, September 2026 – Associated Press — Christa Pike execution timeline