Oklahoma Unveils Revamped Death Chamber After Botched Execution

Prison officials unveiled the renovated death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on Thursday.

Image: Death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary

Scott Crow of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections demonstrates the shade between the witness room at rear and the newly renovated death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary during a media tour in McAlester, Okla, Oct. 9, 2014.Sue Ogrocki / AP

Oct. 10, 2014, 10:50 AM UTC

Prison officials unveiled the renovated death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary on Thursday, five months after a botched execution that renewed debate over the implementation of capital punishment.

Oklahoma's Department of Corrections spent $71,000 reconstructing the death chamber and an additional $34,000 on new medical equipment, The Associated Press reported. New procedures announced last month will require extra training for prison staff and members of the execution team and the introduction of contingency plans in case a lethal injection goes wrong.

Image: A bank of phones on the wall of the operations room in the newly renovated death chamber — A bank of phones on the wall of the operations room in the newly renovated death chamber at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla, including one connecting directly to the Governor's Office.Sue Ogrocki / AP