In the next section, we'll talk about how the drugs are delivered to induce death. The drugs are administered from inside this anteroom. Phones on the wall provide a connection to state officials who have the authority to stay the execution. Unless a call is received from state officials to stay the execution, the execution proceeds as planned. While a lethal-injection machine exists, and was once used by several states, most states now opt to perform the injections manually due to the fear of mechanical failure.
Most states use an execution team, typically comprised of prison employees.
Some states use the same personnel for every execution, while others rotate the duty among several employees The execution team is either in a separate room or behind a curtain and cannot be seen by witnesses or the condemned. In some cases, the executioners may wear a hood to conceal their identity. At the warden's signal, the execution team will begin injecting lethal doses of two or three drugs into the IVs. None of the executioners know who has delivered the lethal dose and who has injected drugs into a dummy bag. This drug is a barbiturate that induces general anesthesia when administered intravenously.