Opinion ID: 3065871
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: arizona’s current (2012) lethal injection

Text: PROTOCOL Since Dickens, ADC has made various amendments to its lethal injection protocol. Some of those were informal amendments through practice, and others were incorporated into a formal departmental order. At issue here is ADC’s January 25, 2012, amendment to Department Order 710 (the “2012 Protocol”). The revised 35-page protocol permits execution through either a three-drug or one-drug protocol and requires ADC to choose between these two protocols at least seven days prior to a scheduled execution.2 2012 Protocol, § 710.01, ¶ 1.1.2.4 & Attach. D, § C.1. The 2012 Protocol further directs that the ADC Director (“Director”), upon consultation with the IV Team Leader, shall determine the catheter sites and that, at the Director’s choice, a central femoral line may be utilized instead of a peripheral IV line if placed by a medically-licensed physician with relevant experience. 2012 Protocol, Attach. D, § E.1. The 2012 Protocol also changed the composition and experience requirements for the IV Team: The IV Team will consist of any two or more of the following: physician(s), physician assistant(s), nurse(s), emergency medical technician(s), paramedic(s), military corpsman, phlebotomist(s) or other appropriately trained personnel including those trained in the United States Military. All team members shall have at least one year of relevant experience in placing either peripheral or central femoral intravenous lines. 2 If a three-drug protocol is used, executions will occur via administration of a sequence of three drugs—either sodium pentothal or pentobarbital, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride. If a one-drug protocol is used, executions will occur via administration of either sodium pentothal or pentobarbital. TOWERY v. BREWER 2509 2012 Protocol, § 710.02, ¶ 1.2.5.1. The 2007 Protocol held constitutional in Dickens required “medically trained personnel” instead of allowing the Director to hire “other appropriately trained personnel,” and required one year of “current and relevant professional experience in their assigned duties on the Medical Team” rather than just one year of “relevant experience.” Compare Dickens, 631 F.3d at 1142-43 with 2012 Protocol, § 710.02, ¶ 1.2.5.1. In addition, the 2012 Protocol requires IV Team members to participate in “at least one training session with multiple scenarios within one day prior to a scheduled execution” rather than, as at the time of Dickens, “at least ten execution rehearsals per year, and, if a Warrant of Execution issues, train weekly up until the execution.” See Dickens, 631 F.3d at 1142; see also 2012 Protocol, § 710.02, ¶ 1.2.5.5. Finally, the 2012 Protocol permits only telephonic contact between an inmate and his attorney after 9:00 p.m. the night before a scheduled execution, whereas previously counsel were permitted unlimited non-contact visitation until very shortly before the execution. 2012 Protocol, § 710.11, ¶ 1.5.