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Lethal Injection

Lethal Injection. Sarah. Who receives lethal injection?. Capital offenders who has been sentenced to death will be executed using this method

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Lethal Injection

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  1. Lethal Injection

  2. Sarah Who receives lethal injection? • Capital offenders who has been sentenced to death will be executed using this method • The death penalty is almost exclusively reserved for first degree murder with aggravating circumstances (treason, aggravated kidnapping, drug trafficking, aircraft hijacking, espionage, aggravated assault) • In 2007 Texas was the 7th state to signed into law a new statute allowing the death penalty for the rape of a child

  3. Before the Execution • Prisoners are held on death row. Sometimes for so long that they die naturally, rather than by execution • 24 hours prior to the official execution, the inmate is moved to the deathwatch cell. He is given a final meal (his requested dinner), the warden and the chaplain visit, the inmate makes final preparations, and the heart monitor is connected Sarah

  4. Who can watch the execution? Sarah • The witnesses are allowed to enter the viewing room. People allowed to watch the execution are: • Relatives of the victim(s) • Relatives of the prisoner • Prison warden • Medical personnel • Spiritual advisor(s) • Prison guards • Official group of "reputable citizens" • Official group of state-selected witnesses • Media representatives

  5. How is the inmate restrained? • The prisoner is moved to the execution chamber and bound to a gurney • A gurney is a metal stretcher with wheels and straps where the inmate is tightly bound at the beginning of the execution Sarah

  6. Who delivers the lethal dose? • An IV tube is put inside of one of the major blood veins in the inmate • There are three staff members who inject the lethal drugs. Each of them injects the drugs an IV line. This is so the executioners don’t know who delivered the lethal dose and who injected them into a dummy bag Sarah

  7. What drugs are given to the inmate? • The drugs are given in this order: • Sodium thiopental- the anesthetic • Pancuronium bromide (Pavulon)- Muscle relaxant • Potassium Chloride- A toxic agent • In-between drugs, a saline solution flushes out the intravenous line Sarah

  8. Sarah Sodium Thiopental • Sodium thiopental is the anesthetic • The normal dose for this particular anesthetic 100 to 150 milligrams over a period of 10 to 15 seconds. The dose for the inmate is up to 5 grams • Often, after the anesthetic is delivered, the inmate cant feel anything for the remainder of the execution

  9. Sarah Pancuronium Bromide • Is the muscle relaxant and is given in such high doses that it paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs, ultimately causing the inmate to stop breathing • The drug is usually given at about 60 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. During the execution the give it in doses of about 100 milligrams total • Other chemicals used at the paralyzing agent include tubocurarine chloride and succinylcholine chloride

  10. Sarah Potassium Chloride • Potassium chloride is not used by all states • It is administered at a lethal dose and interrupts the electrical signal the tells the inmates heart when to beat. This induces cardiac arrest

  11. After the Death • Within two minutes from when the last drug was administered, the inmate is pronounced dead by the attending physician • The body is placed in a body bag and moved so an autopsy can be preformed • After the autopsy is done, the deceased’s family may claim the body or it is interred by the state Sarah

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