§ 22-4003 — Witnesses of executions

* In addition to the secretary of corrections or the warden designated by the secretary, the executioner and persons designated pursuant to K.S.A. 22-4001, and amendments thereto, to assist in the execution, the following persons, and no others, may be present at the execution: (1) A member of the clergy attending the prisoner; (2) not more than three persons designated by the prisoner; and (3) not more than 10 persons designated by the secretary of corrections as official witnesses. The secretary shall consider the inclusion of members of the immediate family of any deceased victim of the prisoner as witnesses when designating official witnesses. The identity of persons present at the execution, other than the secretary or the warden designated by the secretary, shall be confidential. A witness may elect to reveal such witness' own identity, but in no event shall a witness reveal the identity of any other person present at the execution.
(b) All witnesses shall be 18 years of age or older.
(c) The secretary may deny the attendance of any person selected or designated as a witness when the secretary determines it is necessary for reasons of security and order of the institution.
(d) As used in this section, "members of the immediate family" means the spouse, a child by birth or adoption, stepchild, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling or the spouse of any member of the immediate family specified in this subsection.

Legislative History

L. 1970, ch. 129, § 22-4003; L. 1994, ch. 252, § 13; L. 1999, ch. 164, § 22; July 1.