The death penalty is enforced in 32 states in America, and capital offenses include things
such as treason, espionage, and death resulting from aircraft hijacking.
However, committing murder is by far the most common reason that people find themselves
on death row.
Over the years, execution methods have included everything from hanging, to firing squad,
and even a gas chamber, but today all 32 states that have the death penalty use lethal injection,
as it’s considered the most humane way to end a person’s life.
So just how humane is it, and what happens when someone is given the life ending jab?
Let’s find out, in this episode of The Infographics Show: How Does Lethal Injection Work?
There have been 1,472 executions in America since 1976.
Of those executions, 3 were by firing squad, 3 by hanging, 11 by gas chamber, 158 by electrocution,
and 1,297 by lethal injection.
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person to cause them
to die immediately.
It was first developed in the United States, and is now a preferred method of execution
in China, Thailand, Guatemala, Taiwan, the Maldives, and Vietnam.
Once the person’s heart stops, death is pronounced.
In most cases, this takes around seven minutes, although, if there are complications, it can
sometimes take longer.
So what’s actually injected into a person, to bring on cardiac arrest?
According to the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington D.C., the process for
lethal injection in most states, involves injecting three separate shots, all of which
are delivered via intravenous drips.
The first injection is an anesthetic called sodium thiopental, a strong barbiturate used
to send a person into a deep unconsciousness state, so pain cannot be felt.
The drug affects a number of neurotransmitters, causing brain activity to be depressed and
blocking the actions of brain receptors, therefore causing a dormant non reactive state, typically
within 30 seconds.
This anesthetic is intended to last throughout the lethal injection process, so when the
following injections are administered, the person is completely unaware.
The tubes used to administer the drugs are flushed clean with saline, and then the second
injection, this time of pancuronium bromide, is administered.
This drug acts as a neuromuscular blocker, preventing communication between the nervous
system and muscles.
As the person has no muscular control, a state of paralysis is reached.
The diaphragm, a muscle used to pull air into the lungs, stops working, causing breathing
to cease.
One last saline flush before the final injection is administered, this time, potassium chloride.
This disrupts the electrical signaling of the heart, stopping it from beating and ending
the person’s life.
According to a 2002 study in the Journal of Forensic Science, the average time from the
first injection to the heart stopping, is 8.4 minutes.
But what about rare cases where things go wrong and the process takes longer than anticipated?
Though the general consensus is that lethal injection is the most painless and humane
way to end a person’s life, there have been some botched attempts.
We researched some cases that have made the headlines over the years.
In 1985, Charles Walker was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of armed robbery.
He was a death row inmate at the Menard Correctional Center in Chester, Illinois, until September
12th, 1990, when Walker requested a last meal of pan-fried wild rabbit, with gravy made
from the pan drippings, biscuits, and a dessert of blackberry pie with whipped cream.
His execution was scheduled for after dinner.
But the execution was prolonged because of human error and equipment failure.
According to Gary Sutterfield, an engineer who assisted with Walker's execution, a kink
in the plastic tubing going into his arm, stopped the flow of chemicals into Walker's
body.
Additionally, the intravenous needle was pointing at Walker's fingers, instead of his heart.
Walker’s execution took far longer than it should have, and he suffered excruciating
pain throughout.
Next we have Joseph Cannon, who on April 23, 1998, prepared for his death in a Texas jail.
Cannon was convicted of attempted rape and murder in 1977, when he was just 17.
He spent more than half his life on death row before facing the needle.
He made his final statement, and the execution process began, but a vein in Cannon's arm
collapsed and the needle popped out.
As the witnesses looked on, Cannon laid back and exclaimed "It's come undone."
The curtains were then drawn for 15 minutes so the officials dealing with Cannon’s execution
could fix the problem.
When they eventually reopened the curtains, Cannon made a second final statement and the
execution was completed.
And finally a case that hit the headlines this year, Doyle Lee Hamm who faced the death
penalty at Donaldson Correctional Facility, in Bessemer, Alabama.
Hamm had been at Donaldson since 1987, after a jury found him guilty of shooting and killing
a motel clerk during a robbery.
But Hamm had terminal cancer and a history of intravenous drug use, leaving his veins
feeble and compromised.
The attempted execution was halted after medical personnel were unable to find a vein, despite
trying to insert needles in the groin, ankles, and lower legs for nearly 2 hours.
Dr. Mark Heath, the doctor responsible for examining Hamm, was quoted on NBC news as
saying: "During this time Mr. Hamm began to hope that the doctor would succeed in obtaining
IV access so that Mr. Hamm could 'get it over with' because he preferred to die rather than
to continue to experience the ongoing severe pain."
Hamm survived to tell the tale and it’s not been confirmed whether or not, he will
need to face another round of injections to end his life.
These are severe and unfortunate cases, and though of course they are in the minority,
things do go wrong.
According to the Death Penalty Information Center, a national non-profit organization
providing information and data on capital punishment, 7.12% of lethal injection executions
between 1890 to 2010, were botched.
Capital punishment has always been a controversial topic and whichever execution method the state
decides is most humane, it is likely there will always be the occasional problem.
As we’ve learnt today, the method of Lethal injection puts a person to sleep before inducing
a cardiac arrest and most of the time it’s a straightforward procedure - a small pinprick,
a combination of three substances…and then lights out.
Can you think of a more humane method for carrying out the death penalty?
Let us know in the comments!
Also, be sure to check out our other video called Illegal Things That YOU Do Every Day.
Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.
See you next time!.