CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada officials are contracting with a Las Vegas firm to design a new execution chamber at the Ely State Prison.
The state Board of Examiners voted Tuesday to approve a $94,000 contract with the architectural firm Kittrell, Garlock and Associates. The funds will go toward remodeling a courtroom area and part of the visitation area to accommodate executions.
Nevada lawmakers approved $860,000 this spring for a new execution chamber. The state's existing death chamber at the shuttered Nevada State Prison in Carson City is not in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and state officials have said for about four years that they wouldn't be able to carry out capital punishment there.
Executions remain rare in Nevada, which has only carried out the death penalty 12 times since 1977.