Descriptions of Execution Methods
See also:
In 1977, Oklahoma became the
first state to adopt lethal injection as a means of execution, though
it
would be five more years until Charles Brooks would become the first
person
executed by lethal injection in Texas on December 2, 1982. Today, 35 of
the 36 states that have the death penalty use this method.
When this method is used, the
condemned person is usually bound to a gurney and a member of the
execution
team positions several heart monitors on this skin. Two needles (one
is a back-up) are then inserted into usable veins, usually in the
inmates
arms. Long tubes connect the needle through a hole in a cement block
wall to several intravenous drips. The first is a harmless
saline solution that is started immediately. Then, at the warden's
signal, a curtain is raised exposing the inmate to the witnesses in an
adjoining room. Then, the inmate is injected with sodium thiopental
- an anesthetic, which puts the inmate to sleep. Next flows pavulon
or pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the entire muscle system and
stops
the inmate's breathing. Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops
the heart. Death results from anesthetic overdose and respiratory
and cardiac arrest while the condemned person is unconscious.
(Ecenbarger,
1994 and Weisberg, 1991)
Medical ethics preclude doctors
from participating in executions. However, a doctor will certify the
inmate
is dead. This lack of medical participation can be problematic because
often injections are performed by inexperienced technicians or
orderlies. If a member of the execution team injects the drugs into a
muscle instead
of a vein, or if the needle becomes clogged, extreme pain can result.
Many prisoners have damaged veins resulting from intravenous drug use
and
it is sometimes difficult to find a usable vein, resulting in long
delays
while the inmate remains strapped to the gurney. (Ecenbarger, 1994
and Weisberg, 1991)
Seeking a more humane method of execution than hanging, New York built the first electric chair in 1888 and executed William Kemmler in 1890. Soon, other states adopted this execution method. Today, electrocution is not used as the sole method of execution in any state. Electrocution was the sole method in Nebraska until the State Supreme Court ruled the method unconstitutional in February 2008. For execution by the electric chair, the person is usually shaved and strapped to a chair with belts that cross his chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with saline. The sponge must not be too wet or the saline short-circuits the electric current, and not too dry, as it would then have a very high resistance. An additional electrode is moistened with conductive jelly (Electro-Creme) and attached to a portion of the prisoner's leg that has been shaved to reduce resistance to electricity. The prisoner is then blindfolded. (Hillman, 1992 and Weisberg, 1991) After the execution team has withdrawn to the observation room, the warden signals the executioner, who pulls a handle to connect the power supply. A jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts, which lasts for about 30 seconds, is given. The current surges and is then turned off, at which time the body is seen to relax. The doctors wait a few seconds for the body to cool down and then check to see if the inmate's heart is still beating. If it is, another jolt is applied. This process continues until the prisoner is dead. The prisoner's hands often grip the chair and there may be violent movement of the limbs which can result in dislocation or fractures. The tissues swell. Defecation occurs. Steam or smoke rises and there is a smell of burning. (Hillman, 1992 and Weisberg, 1991) U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan once offered the following description of an execution by electric chair:
...the prisoner's eyeballs sometimes pop out and rest on [his] cheeks. The prisoner often defecates, urinates, and vomits blood and drool. The body turns bright red as its temperature rises, and the prisoner's flesh swells and his skin stretches to the point of breaking. Sometimes the prisoner catches fire....Witnesses hear a loud and sustained sound like bacon frying, and the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh permeates the chamber. (Ecenbarger, 1994)
At postmortem, the body is hot enough to blister if touched, and the autopsy is delayed while the internal organs cool. There are third degree burns with blackening where the electrodes met the skin of the scalp and legs. According to Robert H. Kirschner, the deputy chief medical examiner of Cook County, "The brain appears cooked in most cases." (Weisberg, 1991)
In 1924, the use of cyanide
gas was introduced as Nevada sought a more humane way of executing its
inmates. Gee Jon was the first person executed by lethal gas. The state
tried to pump cyanide gas into Jon's cell while he slept. This proved
impossible because the gas leaked from his cell, so the gas
chamber was constructed. (Bohm, 1999) Today, five states authorize
lethal gas as a method of execution, but all have lethal injection as
an
alternative method. A federal court in California found this method
to be cruel and unusual punishment.
For execution by this method,
the condemned person is strapped to a chair in an airtight chamber.
Below the chair rests a pail of sulfuric acid. A long stethoscope
is typically affixed to the inmate so that a doctor outside the chamber
can pronounce death. Once everyone has left the chamber, the room
is sealed. The warden then gives a signal to the executioner who
flicks a lever that releases crystals of sodium cyanide into the pail.
This causes a chemical reaction that releases hydrogen cyanide gas.
(Weisberg, 1991)
The prisoner is instructed to
breathe deeply to speed up the process. Most prisoners, however,
try to hold their breath, and some struggle. The inmate
does not lose consciousness immediately. According to former San
Quenton, California, Penitentiary warden, Clifton Duffy, "At first
there is evidence of extreme horror, pain, and strangling. The eyes
pop. The skin turns purple and the victim begins to drool." (Weisberg,
1991)
Caryl Chessman, before
he died in California's gas chamber in 1960 told reporters that he
would
nod his head if it hurt. Witnesses said he nodded his head for several
minutes. (Ecenbarger, 1994) According to Dr. Richard Traystman
of John Hopkins University School of Medicine, "The person is
unquestionably
experiencing pain and extreme anxiety...The sensation is similar to the
pain felt by a person during a heart attack, where essentially the
heart
is being deprived of oxygen." The inmate dies from hypoxia, the
cutting-off
of oxygen to the brain. (Weisberg, 1991) At postmortem, an exhaust fan
sucks the poison air out of the chamber, and the corpse is sprayed with
ammonia to neutralize any remaining traces of cyanide. About
a half an hour later, oderlies enter the chamber, wearing gas masks and
rubber gloves. Their training manual advises them to ruffle the
victim's
hair to release any trapped cyanide gas before removing the deceased.
(Weisberg,
1991)
Firing squad still remains a
method of execution in Idaho, although lethal injection as an
alternative method is allowed. The most recent execution by this method
was that of John
Albert Taylor. By his own choosing, Taylor was executed by firing
squad in Utah on January 26, 1996.
For execution by this method,
the inmate is typically bound to a chair with leather straps across his
waist and head, in front of an oval-shaped canvas wall. The chair
is surrounded by sandbags to absorb the inmate's blood. A black hood
is pulled over the inmate's head. A doctor locates the inmate's heart
with a stethoscope and pins a circular white cloth target over it.
Standing in an enclosure 20 feet away, five shooters are armed with .30
caliber rifles loaded with single rounds. One of the shooters is
given blank rounds. Each of the shooters aims his rifle through a
slot in the canvas and fires at the inmate. (Weisberg, 1991)
The prisoner dies as a result
of blood loss caused by rupture of the heart or a large blood vessel,
or
tearing of the lungs. The person shot loses consciousness when shock
causes a fall in the supply of blood to the brain. If the shooters
miss the heart, by accident or intention, the prisoner bleeds to death
slowly. (Hillman, 1992 and Weisberg, 1991)
Until the 1890s, hanging was
the primary method of execution used in the United States. Hanging
is still used in Delaware and Washington, although both have lethal
injection as an alternative method of execution.
For execution by this method,
the inmate may be weighed the day before the execution, and a rehearsal
is done using a sandbag of the same weight as the prisoner. This is to
determine the length of 'drop' necessary to ensure a quick death. If
the rope is too long, the inmate could be decapitated, and if it is
too short, the strangulation could take as long as 45 minutes. The
rope, which should be 3/4-inch to 1 1/4-inch in diameter, must be
boiled
and stretched to eliminate spring or coiling. The knot should be
lubricated with wax or soap "to ensure a smooth sliding action,"
according
to the 1969 U.S. Army manual. (The Corrections Professional, 1996
and Hillman, 1992)
Immediately before the execution,
the prisoner's hands and legs are secured, he or she is blindfolded,
and
the noose is placed around the neck, with the knot behind the left ear.
The execution takes place when a trap-door is opened and the prisoner
falls
through. The prisoner's weight should cause a rapid
fracture-dislocation
of the neck. However, instantaneous death rarely occurs. (Weisberg,
1991)
If the inmate has strong
neck muscles, is very light, if the 'drop' is too short, or the noose
has
been wrongly positioned, the fracture-dislocation is not rapid and
death
results from slow asphyxiation. If this occurs the face becomes
engorged,
the tongue protrudes, the eyes pop, the body defecates, and violent
movements
of the limbs occur. (The Corrections Professional, 1996 and Weisberg,
1991)
Sources
R. Bohm, "Deathquest: An
Introduction to the Theory and
Practice of Capital Punishment in the United States," Anderson
Publishing,
1999.
W. Ecenbarger, "Perfecting Death: When the state
kills it must do so humanely. Is that possible?," The Philadelphia
Inquirer Magazine, January 23, 1994.
"Executions - Preparing Staff for the Hard Task Ahead,"
The Corrections Professional, Vol. 1, February 16, 1996.
H. Hillman, "The Possible Pain Experienced During
Executions by Different Methods," 22 Perception 745 (1992).
J. Weisberg, "This is Your Death," The New
Republic, July 1, 1991.