Chapter 6 Outline

  • The Evolution of Execution Methods
    • The most common and adopted methods of execution in recent history are: Hanging, electrocution, the gas chamber, firing squad and lethal injection
  • Hanging
    • 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.
  • Electrocution
    • 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
  • Gas Chamber
    • 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
  • Firing Squad
    • 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.
  • Lethal Injection
    • 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
  • Three vs. One Drug
    • 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)
  • Drug Availability
    • 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”
  • Executioners
    • 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
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