Once the execution is over, witnesses are escorted out by prison staff. Media and families may be taken to a press area for a press conference. The official witnesses sign a document attesting to the fact that they have witnessed the execution and that it took place. How Stuff Works Prisoners are strapped to this gurney in the preparation room just outside the execution chamber at North Carolina's Central Prison. Once IV tubes have been inserted into the prisoner's arms, the gurney is rolled into the chamber.
Few people know when there are only a few minutes left in their lives.
Those sitting on death row are fully aware of when they are going to die, sometimes to the exact minute. Most state laws regarding capital punishment include a timeline of the events that must take place in the hours leading up to execution, including when the prisoner is to be taken to the execution chamber. Once properly dressed, the inmate is taken to the execution chamber. They either walk on their own or are restrained to and rolled in on a gurney. Inmates who walk to the execution chamber are then restrained on a gurney or table either inside the chamber or in an adjacent preparation room.