Chapter 6 Outline

The most common and adopted methods of execution in recent history are: Hanging, electrocution, the gas chamber, firing squad and lethal injection

Predominant method of execution until the 1890s
Was widely used because of its convenience, simplicity and low cost to implement
New method of hanging called “upright jerker,” was designed to create more force to break the neck. Proved to be a failure because the executioner didn’t always set the weights correctly
Also tried extending the length of the rope so the body could drop faster and increased the likelihood of instant neck breakage. This also failed as decapitation occurred because of the speed and velocity
In 1996, Bailey was the last death row inmate to be hanged in the U.S.

Death by electrocution emerged from a bitter battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse.
Both inventors advocated using the other’s type of electrical current for the death penalty. Neither wanted the distinction of distributing the form of electricity that would be used to kill people.
It was believed that electrocution served two purposes: It was quick and painless and circumvented the need for an executioner
William Kemmler was the first man to be executed by electrocution in 1890.
The most recent electric chair execution took place in Virginia in 2013
Nine states currently have electrocution as an authorized method of execution: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia

Nevada was the first state to use the gas chamber.
Officials first thought it would be more humane to release gas into the inmate’s cell while they were sleeping. They realized this was not an effective practice because prison cells are not airtight
The gas had to be picked up from California and carried back to Nevada as the manufacturer thought it too dangerous to ship
Currently, four states allow legal gas as an execution option: Arizona, California, Missouri, and Wyoming

Ronnie Lee Gardner was one of only three people executed by firing squad since reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976
All three firing squad executions occurred in Utah
The primary method of execution in America today is lethal injection
If an inmate was sentenced to death prior to 2004, he/she is allowed to choose between lethal injection and firing squad in Utah
Firing squad was originally adopted in Utah by Mormon lawmakers because of the religious doctrine of blood atonement
Blood atonement: This principle requires an offender who commits murder to sacrifice his/her own life in a manner that sheds blood if the offender wishes to partially atone for the sin committed
In Utah, there are five marksmen/executioners who take part in each of the executions; four guns are loaded with live rounds, one is a blank round. None of the executioners know who administers the blank round.

The most widely used method of execution today
As of 2009, all of the 31 death penalty states and the federal government use lethal injection as their primary execution method

The three drugs used in a lethal injection execution are: An anesthetic, a paralytic, and a chemical used to stop the heart
Most states do not individualize the drug dosage according to the offender’s size and weight and prescribe a set dosage for all offenders
Ohio was the first state to adopt a one-drug protocol consisting of only the continual flow of the first drug (anesthetic)

Other countries have begun to refuse the sale of execution drugs to the U.S. because they oppose the death penalty
Georgia enacted the Lethal Injection Secrecy Act in 2013 to protect drug suppliers, calling this information a “state secret”

The Hippocratic Oath strictly prohibits physicians from participating in executions
The following major organizations that develop professional and ethical guidelines for medical professionals also forbid execution assistance: American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Society of Anesthesiology and the American Nurses Association
One could argue that doctors who assist terminally ill patients to die also violate the Hippocratic Oath

Last Words and Last Meals
Before the condemned persons’ execution, two rituals are afforded them: Last meal request and the opportunity to speak their last words
Texas no longer allows the condemned persons to choose their food for their last meal after Lawrence Russell Brewer ordered a variety of meals and then refused to eat any of it