Indiana law shrouds executions in secrecy, prompting new pushes for public oversight

Associated Press

Executions have historically been carried out with at least some public scrutiny, from public hangings in the town square to lethal injections in prisons witnessed by journalists. Indiana was expected to again diverge from that tradition by barring media witnesses from the execution of Joseph Corcoran. But shortly after state authorities announced his death, an Indiana news organization said one of its reporters had been invited by Corcoran to witness the execution. First Amendment advocates and death penalty experts say media witnesses play a crucial role by providing the public with firsthand and factual accounts of executions.