DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20350
SECNAVINST 5815.4
JAG 20
24 August 1993
sECNAV INSTR
UCTION 5815.4
From: Secretary of the Navy
Subj:
PROCEDURES FOR EXECUTIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE
NAVY
1. Pur~ose. To prescribe policies and procedures for carrying
out a sentence to death imposed by a Department of the Navy
court-martial or military tribunal and approved and ordered
executed by the President.
2. Amlicabilitv.
The Secretary of the Navy may designate a
component of the Department of Defense outside of the Department
of the Navy to carry out a sentence to death involving naval
personnel. Consequently,
this instruction is intended to apply
only to those cases in which the Department of the Navy will be
responsible for the conduct of the execution.
Normally,
prisoners confined at the U.S.
Disciplinary Barracks will be
executed by the Department of the Army in accordance with Army
regulations.
In such cases,
the Department of the Navy will
provide support as needed.
3. Responsibilities.
A sentence to death may be approved and
ordered executed only by the President.
When the President
approves a sentence to death and orders the sentence executed,
.
specific responsibilities are as follows:
a.
The Secretary of the Navy will:
(l).Prescribe the manner of execution.
the Department of the Navy shall be by lethal
Secretary may prescribe an alternative method
Executions within
injection.
The
of execution if.
due to military exigency or other reason,
sufficient technica~
assistance cannot be obtained to carry out an execution by lethal
injection.
(2) Prescribe the date and location for the execution
based on the recommendation of the Chief of Naval Personnel or
the Commandant of the Marine Corps,
as appropriate (see paragraph
3b(3)).
The date of the execution shall be no earlier than 10
days after the sentence to death is approved and ordered executed
by the President.
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