First execution by lethal injection - Dec 07, 1982 - HISTORY.com First execution by lethal injection Share this: First execution by lethal injection Author First execution by lethal injection URL Publisher A+E Networks The first execution by lethal injection takes place at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. Charles Brooks, Jr., convicted of murdering an auto mechanic, received an intravenous injection of sodium pentathol, the barbiturate that is known as a “truth serum” when administered in lesser doses. Texas, the national leader in executions, adopted the lethal injection procedure as a more humane method of carrying out its death sentences, as opposed to the standard techniques of death by gas, electrocution, or hanging. During the next decade, 32 states, the federal government, and the U.S. military all took up the lethal injection method. After several years of practical development, execution authorities adopted a lethal injection procedure in which three separate drugs are injected successively into the convict’s bloodstream.

The first drug, sodium thiopental, a barbiturate, renders the prisoner unconscious, the next, pancuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant, paralyses the diaphragm and lungs, and the third, potassium chloride, causes cardiac arrest and ensures the prisoner’s death. Related Videos Texas | Death Penalty Information Center Texas State Capitol, Austin. Photo by Steve Hall. History of the Death Penalty Famous cases Karla Faye Tucker (November 18, 1959 – February 3, 1998) was convicted of murder in Texas in 1984 and put to death in 1998. She was the first woman to be executed in the United States since 1984, and the first in Texas since 1863. Cameron Todd Willingham was executed in 2004 for arson in a 1991 house fire that killed his three daughters. The arson theories used as evidence in his case have since be repudiated by scientific advances, and arson experts now believe the fire may have been accidental.

Notable Exonerations Anthony Graves spent 16 years in prison before being released on October 27, 2010. He was convicted based on the testimony of Robert Carter, who said Graves was his accomplice. Two weeks before Carter was scheduled to be executed in 2000, he provided a statement saying he lied about Graves’s involvement in the crime. He repeated that statement minutes before his execution. Graves' conviction was overturned in 2006 due to prosecutorial misconduct, and the special prosecutor assigned to his new trial dropped the charges against him, saying "We found not one piece of credible evidence that links Anthony Graves to the commission of this capital murder...He is an innocent man" Randall Dale Adams was convicted of killing a police officer. Another suspect, David Harris, was heard bragging about the murder, but said that Adams was the killer. The witnesses in Adams' case were never cross-examined because they disappeared after testifying. After Adams' conviction and death sentence were overturned, prosecutors did not seek a new trial due to evidence of Adams' innocence. This case is the subject of the movie The Thin Blue Line.

Several death row inmates in Texas have been executed despite serious doubts about their guilt, but they have not been officially exonerated. (Names link to details of that case.) Frances Newton Milestones in abolition/reinstatement In September 2005, Texas implemented life without parole sentencing in capital cases. Prior to that, juries had a choice between the death penalty and life in prison with a possibility of parole after 40 years. Texas "firsts" Texas was the first U.S. state to carry out an execution by lethal injection, executing Charles Brooks on December 7, 1982. Texas is first in the number of executions carried out in the United States since 1976. Other interesting facts One Texas county (Harris) accounts for 280+ death sentences and 116 executions since 1982. The Texas Governor cannot impose a moratorium on executions, as this authority is not allowed in the Texas Constitution. To give the Governor this power would require a constitutional amendment approved by voters.

Clemency process: The governor has clemency authority on the advice of the Board of Pardons and Paroles and needs a favorable recommendation from the Board in order to be able to grant clemency. The governor is not obligated to follow the recommendation of the Board, however. The governor also has the power to grant a one-time 30 day reprieve. The governor appoints the members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles. Of Texas' 254 counties, 136 have never sent a single offender to death row (1976-present). See a map of death sentences in Texas by county . Texas has the Law of Parties, which allows offenders to be sentenced to death if present while a capital crime is being committed based on the offender being "criminally responsible for the conduct of another." 13 juveniles were executed in Texas before the 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roper v. Simmons. 29 juveniles awaiting execution were sentenced to Life In Prison and removed from death row in response to the decision. Although the U.S. Supreme Court prohibited the application of the death penalty to persons with mental retardation in Atkins v.

Virginia (2002), the Texas Legislature still has not enacted statutory provisions governing the standards and procedures to be followed in these cases. Death Row Information Death Row Facts History Death row was located in the East Building of the Huntsville Unit from 1928 to 1952.ï¿½ From 1952 until 1965, the electric chair was located in a building by the East Wall of the Huntsville Unit. The men on death row were moved from the Huntsville Unit to the Ellis Unit in 1965. Death row remained at the Ellis Unit until 1999. In 1999, the TDCJ moved death row to the Polunsky Unit.ï¿½The Polunsky Unit houses death row offenders separately in single-person cells, with each cell having a window. Death row offenders are also recreated individually. Offenders on death row receive a regular diet, and have access to reading, writing, and legal materials. Depending upon their custody level, some death row offenders are allowed to have a radio. The women on death row are housed at the Mountain View Unit.

Offenders on death row do not have regular TDCJ-ID numbers, but have special death row numbers. Hanging was means of execution between 1819 and 1923. The State of Texas authorized the use of the electric chair in 1923, and ordered all executions to be carried out by the State in Huntsville. Prior to 1923, Texas counties were responsible for their own executions. The State of Texas executed the first offender by electrocution on February 8, 1924. Charles Reynolds from Red River County was executed. On that same date, four additional offenders, Ewell Morris, George Washington, Mack Matthews, and Melvin Johnson were executed. State of Texas executed brothers on six occasions: Frank & Lorenzo Noel electrocuted July 3, 1925; S.A.

& Forest Robins electrocuted April 6, 1926; Oscar & Mack Brown electrocuted July 1, 1936; Roscoe & Henderson Brown electrocuted May 6, 1938; Curtis July 1, 1993 & Danny July 30, 1993 Harris (both by lethal injection); Jessie September 16, 1994 & Jose November 18, 1999 Gutierrez (both by lethal injection). One of the most notorious offenders to be executed was Raymond Hamilton, member of the "Bonnie and Clyde" gang. He was sentenced from Walker County and executed on May 10, 1935, for murder. Hamilton and another man had escaped from death row, only to be captured and return to death row. The State of Texas executed the last offender by electrocution on July 30, 1964. Joseph Johnson from Harris County was executed. A total of 361 inmates were electrocuted in the State of Texas. When capital punishment was declared "cruel and unusual punishment" by the U.S.

Supreme Court on June 29, 1972, there were 45 men on death row in Texas and 7 in county jails with a death sentence. All of the sentences were commuted to life sentences by the Governor of Texas, and death row was clear by March 1973. In 1973, revision to the Texas Penal Code once again allowed assessment of the death penalty and allowed for executions to resume effective January 1, 1974. Under the new statute, the first man (#507 John Devries) was placed on death row on February 15, 1974. Devries committed suicide July 1, 1974, by hanging himself with bed sheets. The State of Texas adopted lethal injection as means of execution in 1977. The State of Texas executed the first offender by lethal injection on December 7, 1982. Charlie Brooks of Tarrant County was executed for the kidnap/murder of a Fort Worth auto mechanic. Effective January 12, 1996, close relatives and friends of the deceased victim were allowed to witness executions.

Information from here to the bottom of the page relates to death row after 1973. For information relating to death row from 1923-1973, click here .

Texas Capital Offenses: The following crimes are Capital Murder in Texas:ï¿½ murder of a peace officer or fireman who is acting in the lawful discharge of an official duty and who the person knows is a peace officer or fireman; murder during the commission or attempted commission of kidnapping, burglary, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, arson, obstruction or retaliation, or terroristic threat; murder for remuneration or promise of remuneration or employs another to commit murder for remuneration or promise of remuneration; murder during escape or attempted escape from a penal institution; murder, while incarcerated in a penal institution, of a correctional employee or with the intent to establish, maintain, or participate in a combination or in the profits of a combination; murder while incarcerated in a penal institution for a conviction of murder or capital murder; murder while incarcerated in a penal institution serving a life sentence or a 99 year sentence for a conviction of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, or aggravated robbery; murder of more than one person during the same criminal transaction or during different criminal transactions but the murders are committed pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct; murder of an individual under ten years of age; or murder in retaliation for or on account of the service or status

 of the other person as a judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county court, a statutory county court, a justice court, or a municipal court.

United States Capital Punishment: The death penalty was authorized by 32 states, the Federal Government, and the U.S. Military. While Connecticut, Maryland, and New Mexico no longer have death penalty statutes, they do currently incarcerate death-sentenced offenders. The law abolishing the death penalty in these states was not retroactive, and only applies to offenders sentenced after the law was passed. Additionally, the death penalty statute in New York is undergoing judicial review. Texas leads the nation in the number of executions since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. California, Florida, Texas, and Pennsylvania have the largest death row populations. As of December 31, 2013, 2,979 offenders were under sentence of death in the United States. There are five methods of execution in the United States: lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, hanging, and firing squad. Jurisdictions without death penalty statutes: Alaska, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

For more on capital punishment in the United States: Bureau of Justice Statistics-Capital Punishment Lethal Injection Consists Of: Single drug protocol of Pentobarbital Average Time on Death Row prior to Execution:ï¿½ 10.87 years Shortest Time on Death Row prior to Execution: Name Execution History Capital Punishment History A Historical Perspective The earliest recorded Maryland execution took place on October 22, 1773, when four convict servants were hanged at Frederick for slitting the throat of their master, Archibald Hoffman (VIRGINIA GAZETTE. 26 July 1773 and BOSTON NEWSLETTER. 26 November 1773). The first description of a Maryland execution came from John Duncan, a visitor to Baltimore in 1818, who witnessed the hanging of two mail robbers from outside the prison court yard along with numerous other spectators: "I had in my pocket a small perspective glass which I offered to two young ladies who happened to stand near me; they seemed quite pleased with the accommodation and continued to use it alternately till the whole melancholy scene was over.

The bodies on being cut down were immediately buried in the corner of the prison yard." (Travels through the U.S. and Canada, 1823, I, 232). Hangings remained public spectacles throughout the nineteenth century, carried out in the counties where those condemned were convicted. But during this time sentiment against public executions was growing. The first indoor hanging took place at the Baltimore City Jail in January of 1913, with only official witnesses admitted (Evening SUN, 1 January 1913). Beginning in 1923, in accordance with state law, all executions in Maryland were carried out privately inside the Penitentiary. The first person hanged there was a 21-year-old man from Somerset County named George Chelton, on June 8, 1923, for rape. Over the next 34 years, 75 men stepped onto the gallows, with 12 double and two triple hangings taking place. As a representative of the press, H. L. Mencken witnessed nine hangings, including that of convicted murderer Richard Resse Whittemore on August 13, 1926.

His clinical and graphic account appeared in the Evening SUN on August 16th and also in A Mencken Chrestomathy (1949). Not every hanging was noticed by the newspapers, but at least one proved different enough to be written up by the NEWS on January 30, 1930. Shortly after midnight, Jack Johnson, a 56-year-old man convicted of double murder, dropped through the trap, but the rope broke. His limp form was quickly placed on a stretcher and carried up on the scaffold where his neck was put into a fresh noose. With Johnson still supported by the stretcher, the trap was sprung again, and he was pronounced dead shortly after. The last to be hanged was a 32-year-old man named William C. Thomas on June 10, 1955, for rape and murder. Thereafter, four executions have taken place by asphyxiation in the Penitentiary's gas chamber, believed to be a more humane way of putting a person to death than hanging.

The last execution by lethal gas occurred on June 9, 1961, the condemned man being Nathaniel Lipscomb, a 33-year-old man from Baltimore City, convicted of rape and murder. Changes to Maryland's Death Penalty statute, enacted on March 25, 1994 altered the manner in which the punishment of death is carried out, providing for lethal injection, now regarded as the most humane method of execution. First used in Texas on December 7, 1982, it now is used by over 30 of the 38 states where capital punishment is legal. Maryland's first execution by lethal injection occurred on May 17, 1994, the condemned man being John F. Thanos, convicted of the slaying of two individuals in 1990.

Wallace Shugg State by State Lethal Injection | Death Penalty Information Center State-by-State State by State Lethal Injection Until 2009, most states used a 3-drug combination for lethal injections: an anesthetic (usually sodium thiopental, until pentobarbital was introduced at the end of 2010), pancuronium bromide (a paralytic agent, also called Pavulon), and potassium chloride (stops the heart and causes death). Due to drug shortages, states have adopted new lethal injection methods, including: ONE DRUG: Eight states have used a single-drug method for executions--a lethal dose of an anesthetic (Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, and Washington). Six other states have announced plans to use a one-drug protocol, but have not carried out such an execution (Arkansas, California, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Tennessee). PENTOBARBITAL: Fourteen states have used pentobarbital in executions: Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia.

Five additional states plan to use pentobarbital: Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Colorado includes pentobarbital as a backup drug in its lethal injection procedure. PROPOFOL: One state had planned to use propofol (Diprivan), in a single-drug protocol, but has since revised its lethal injection procedure: Missouri MIDAZOLAM: Three states have used midazolam as the first drug in a three-drug protocol: Florida, Oklahoma, and Alabama. Oklahoma's use of midazolam was botched, and the prisoner, Clayton Lockett , died after the procedure was halted. Alabama's use of midazolam in the execution of Ronald Smith in December 2016, resulted in nearly fifteen minutes of heaving and gasping for breath. Two states have used midazolam in a two-drug protocol: Ohio and Arizona . Both of those executions, which were carried out in 2014, were prolonged and accompanied by the prisoners' gasping for breath. Three states have proposed using ﻿midazolam in a two-drug protocol: Louisiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.

Other states have announced their intention to use midazolam in a three-drug protocol: Arkansas and Virginia. In December 2016, Arizona abandoned its use of midazolam in either a two-drug or a three-drug protocol. In January 2017, Florida abandoned its use as midazolam as the first drug in its three-drug protocol and replaced it with etomidate. Some states have proposed multiple protocols. Missouri administered midazolam to inmates as a sedative before the official execution protocol began. COMPOUNDING PHARMACIES : Ten states have either used or intend to use compounding pharmacies to obtain their drugs for lethal injection. South Dakota carried out 2 executions in October 2012, obtaining drugs from compounders. Missouri first used pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy in the November 20, 2013 execution of Joseph Franklin. Texas first used pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy in the execution of Michael Yowell on October 9, 2013. Georgia used drugs from an unnamed compounding pharmacy for an execution on June 17, 2014.

Ohio announced plans to obtain drugs from compounding pharmacies in October, 2013. In March, 2014, Mississippi announced plans to use pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy. Documents released in January, 2014, show that Louisiana had contacted a compounding pharmacy regarding execution drugs, but it is unclear whether the drugs were obtained there. Pennsylvania may have obtained drugs from a compounder, but has not used them. Colorado sent out inquiries to compounding pharmacies for lethal injection drugs, but all executions are on hold. Oklahoma may use drugs from compounding pharmacies, if it can obtain them. Virginia first used compounded pentobarbital obtained through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the execution of Alfredo Prieto on October 1, 2015. ALTERNATE METHODS: Three states have passed laws allowing for alternative execution methods if lethal injection drugs are unavailable. Oklahoma's law, effective as of November 2015, allows for the use of nitrogen gas asphyxiation. Tennessee's law allows for the use of the electric chair.

Utah's law allows the firing squad to be used if the state cannot obtain lethal injection drugs 30 days before an execution. In federal executions, the method is determined by the state in which the sentencing took place. All 3 of the federal executions in the modern era have been by lethal injection carried out in a federal facility in Indiana. Apparently, a 3-drug combination was used, though prison officials did not reveal the exact ingredients. (See Washington Post, Dec. 5, 2000). The U.S. Military has not carried out any executions since reinstatement. It plans to use lethal injection.

LETHAL INJECTION "FIRSTS" First state to use lethal injection: Texas, December 7, 1982 First state to use one-drug method: Ohio, December 8, 2009 (single drug was sodium thiopental) First state to use pentobarbital in three-drug protocol: Oklahoma, December 16, 2010 First state to use pentobarbital in one-drug protocol: Ohio, March 10, 2011 First state to use midazolam in three-drug protocol: Florida, October 15, 2013 First state to use midazolam in two-drug protocol: Ohio, January 16, 2014 Most recently used drug protocol Latest Information Sodium thiopental seized by DEA in March 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 19, 2011 (Reuters, 5/19/11) Announced plans to use midazolam as first drug in a three-drug protocol (Anniston Star, 

9/12/14) Arizona^ 2-drug with midazolam and hydromorphone Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 25, 2011 (AP, 5/25/11) Switched to one-drug protocol (pentobarbital) on February 29, 2012 (AP, 2/29/12) Execution protocol was changed to allow witnesses to watch execution, starting with insertion of IV lines.

Previously, witnesses could not watch the insertion of IV lines (Associated Press, 6/7/12) At least enough pentobarbital for two more executions (AP, 9/19/12) First use of midazolam and hydromorphone in a two-drug protocol on July 23, 2014 was botched. Execution of Joseph Wood took over two hours, witnesses reported Wood gasped and snorted throughout the execution. (Washington Post, 7/23/14) In December 2016, Arizona removed midazolam from its protocol. Executions on hold per court order until further notice.

Arkansas^ Turned over sodium thiopental to DEA in July 2011 (AP, 7/21/11) Obtained unspecified amount of sodium thiopental from British company (AP, 1/21/11) Executions on hold because lethal injection law violates state constitution (2012) Legislature passed law rewriting execution protocol, calls for one-drug procedure, but does not specify drug (AP, 2/20/13) Announced plans to use phenobarbital in executions. No other state has used or plans to use the drug in executions. (AP, 4/16/13) State has now abandoned plans to use phenobarbital. (Arkansas News Bureau, 6/17/13) In June 2015, Akansas announced that it planned to use midazolam in a three-drug protocol. California^ 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Obtained sodium thiopental from British company, enough for 86 executions (AP, 1/21/11) Executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts; the governor has recommended that the Dept.

of Corrections consider changing to a 1-drug protocol A Superior Court judge rejected requests to set execution dates, saying he did not have jurisdiction to order the one-drug procedure that has never been used in California (AP, 9/11/12). State is no longer defending its 3-drug protocol and intends to implement a 1-drug protocol. (Mercury News, 7/11/13) Announced a new one-drug protocol with four drug options (amobarbital, pentobarbital, secobarbital, or thiopental). Approval for the new protocol is expected to take at least one year, with possible legal challenges to follow.

(LA Times, 11/6/15) Colorado 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts and action by the governor staying executions over concerns about the death penalty generally Pentobarbital is included as a backup for sodium thiopental in Colorado's lethal injection protocol (Associated Press, 8/23/13) Delaware Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on July 29, 2011 (delawareonline.com, 7/29/11) Florida 3-drug with midazolam Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on September 28, 2011 (Washington Post, 9/29/11) Announced plans to use midazolam as the first drug in a new three-drug protocol.

Began using midazolam in executions on October 15, 2013 Georgia^ 1-drug pentobarbital Used foreign-bought sodium thiopental in 2 executions before sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in March 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on June 23, 2011 (Reuters, 6/23/11) Supply of 17 vials of pentobarbital (enough for about 6 executions) expires March 1, 2013 (AP, 2/18/13) Began using one-drug protocol on February 21, 2013 (The Guardian, 2/21/13) Idaho Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on November 18, 2011 First used one-drug method (pentobarbital) on June 12, 2012 Indiana 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Uses three-drug protocol Announced plans to use Brevital, a bar

biturate anesthetic, as the first drug in a three-drug protocol (AP, 5/18/14) Kansas Statute does not specify drugs; no executions in modern era Kentucky 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in April 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11); a state judge has ordered the prison system to consider using a 1-drug protocol.

New execution method calls for 1- or 2-drug (midazolam and hydromorphone) lethal injection, depending on availability of drugs. Both protocols would employ intravenous application. New protocol takes effect 2/1/13, but must be approved by a judge before executions can resume. (AP, 1/31/13) In November 2014, the state abandoned use of midazolam and hydromorphone, and no protocol currently exists. Louisiana 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Announced change to one-drug procedure using pentobarbital (Baton Rouge Advocate, 2/6/13) Execution scheduled for 2/13/13 has been stayed. Judge requires additional information on new execution procedure. (AP, 2/7/13) Announced change to two-drug execution procedure - midazolam and hydromorphone (Times-Picayune, 1/27/14) Executions on hold per court order until at least January 2018.

Mississippi 3-drug with pentobarbital Began using pentobarbital in 3-drug protocol on May 10, 2011 (AFP, 5/10/11) 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed to hear challenge to Mississippi's lethal injection protocol; executions on hold (Associated Press, 8/4/12) Said it will use pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy as the first drug in a 3-drug protocol (AP, 3/20/14) Added midazolam as alternative drug if sodium thiopental or pentobarbital are unavailable. (7/28/15.) Mississippi Supreme Court issues opinion that allows prisoner to challenge the state's method of execution in state court.

(12/15/16.) Missouri 1-drug pentobarbital Announced plans to switch to one-drug protocol using 2 grams of propofol (Missouri Department of Corrections, 5/15/12) Announced plans to switch to pentobarbital, which will be obtained from a compounding pharmacy (AP, 10/22/13) Began using pentobarbital in one-drug protocol on November 20, 2013 Montana Nebraska^ 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Obtained sodium thiopental from Indian company, enough for 166 executions (Lincoln Journal Star, 1/21/11 and 1/27/11) Carey Moore execution stayed to allow time for legal challenge of imported sodium thiopental (Lincoln Journal Star, 5/25/11) Obtained new supply (485 grams, or enough for about 100 executions) of sodium thiopental from Swiss company (AP, 11/3/11) Naari AG, the Swiss company that produced Nebraska's supply, asked Nebraska to return it.

Naari gave the drug to an Indian man "who said he wanted to use it and eventually sell it as an anesthetic in Zambia," and did not intend it to be used in executions. (CBS News, 11/30/11). The FDA has ordered Neb. to turn over any foreign sodium thiopental. Neb. has refused. FDA is appealing federal court ruling requiring it to recall foreign thiopental. (2012). Nebraska's legislature abolished the death penalty on May 27, 2015, but electorate voted to repeal the abolition bill in November 2016, and the death penalty has been reinstated.

Nevada Executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts New Hampshire Statute does not specify drugs; no executions in modern era New Mexico 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Abolished death penalty in 2009, two prisoners remain on death row and may face execution by lethal injection North Carolina Executions on hold due to lethal injection challenge in courts Secretary of Public Safety Frank Perry approved a one-drug protocol for lethal injections (WRAL, 11/5/13) Ohio 2-drug with midazolam and hydromorphone* Began using pentobarbital in one-drug protocol on March 10, 2011 (Washington Post, 3/11/11) Supply of pentobarbital expires September 2013 (AP, 9/19/12) Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has requested that doctors participate in executions and be protected from professional sanctions for doing so.

(AP, 2/15/13) Announced plans to obtain pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy (AP, 10/4/13) Began using a 2-drug protocol (midazolam and hydromorphone) on January 16, 2014, execution botched (New York Times, 1/16/14) Announced plans to use a one-drug protocol of sodium thiopental or pentobarbital (AP, 1/8/15) 3-drug (midazolam, vecuronium bromide, potassium acetate)* Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on December 16, 2010 (CBS News, 12/17/10) Authorized 5 different lethal injection protocols, at the discretion of the Department of Corrections: a three-drug method beginning with sodium thiopental, pentobarbital, or midazolam, a two-drug procedure using midazolam and hydromorphone, or a lethal dose of pentobarbital alone (AP, 3/26/14) A state

 judge struck down Oklahoma's lethal injection secrecy law, saying that it violated prisoners' right to due process (AP, 3/26/14), but that decision was overturned by state Supreme Court.

The state's first use of a three-drug protocol beginning with midazolam was botched. (LA Times, 4/29/14) An investigation revealed that the state had used potassium acetate as the final drug in the three-drug protocol in the execution of Charles Warner on 1/15/15. The state protocol calls for potassium chloride.(The Oklahoman, 10/8/15) Executions on hold per court order until further notice.

Oregon Reselling execution drugs through reverse wholesaler after Gary Haugen execution was cancelled (The Oregonian, 1/3/12) Executions on hold due to governor-imposed moratorium Pennsylvania Statute does not specify drugs Executions on hold due to governor-imposed moratorium South Carolina^ Sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in April 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 6, 2011 (Reuters, 5/6/11) South Dakota^ 1-drug pentobarbital Department of Corrections officially altered lethal injection procedures to allow for a one-, two- or three-drug execution process. Changes to procedure will allow either sodium thiopental or pentobarbital to be used in one-drug protocol, or as initial drug in other protocols. State has obtained a supply of pentobarbital.

(Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 10/22/11) Began using pentobarbital in one-drug protocol on October 15, 2012 (Associated Press, 10/16/12) Tennessee^ Sodium thiopental was seized by DEA in March 2011 (ACLU of Northern CA, 5/17/11) Has no supply of sodium thiopental or pancuronium bromide (AP, 1/14/13) Announced plans to switch to a one-drug protocol using pentobarbital (AP, 9/28/13) Governor signed a bill to allow executions by electric chair if lethal injection drugs are not available (AP, 5/23/14) Texas 1-drug pentobarbital Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on May 3, 2011 (Wall Street Journal, 5/4/11) As of May 21, 2012, Department of Criminal Justice has enough lethal injection drugs for 23 executions (Associated Press, May 21, 2012

) Began using pentobarbital in one-drug protocol on July 18, 2012 (BBC News, July 18, 2012) Enough pentobarbital for 23 executions (AP, 9/19/12); drugs expire in September 2013 and state is seeking alternatives.

Announced it will continue to use pentobarbital but did not indicate the source for the drug (AP, Sept. 20, 2013).

Source revealed to be a compounding pharmacy (AP, 10/2/13) Began using pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy on October 9, 2013 (AP, 10/9/13) Utah 3-drug with sodium thiopental* Uses three-drug protocol Authorized use of firing squad if lethal injection drugs cannot be obtained (New York Times, 3/23/15) Virginia 3-drug with pentobarbital Began using pentobarbital in three-drug protocol on August 18, 2011 (Washington Post, 8/18/11) Announced switch from pancuronium bromide to rocuronium bromide for second drug in three-drug protocol (Associated Press, 7/27/12) Authorized midazolam as an alternative first drug in the 3-drug protocol (Washington Post, 2/21/14) Used compounded pentobarbital obtained through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in the execution of Alfredo Prieto on 10/1/15 (BuzzFeed, 10/1/15) Washington 1-dr

ug with sodium thiopental* Choice of 1- or 3-drug protocol; used 1-drug (sodium thiopental) in execution of Cal Brown on 9/10/10 Wyoming Texas Execution Information - History History of the Death Penalty in Texas 1923-1964: The Electric Chair Prior to 1923, counties carried out their own executions, by means of hanging.

In 1923, the state of Texas ordered all executions to be carried out by the state, in Huntsville, by means of the electric chair. The state executed its first inmate by electrocution on 8 February 1924. Five prisoners were electrocuted on that date. Death row and the execution chamber were located in the Huntsville unit from 1928 to 1965. The last electrocution was carried out on 30 July 1964. Texas electrocuted a total of 361 inmates from 1924 to 1964. 1964-1982: Moratorium In 1964, judicial challenges to capital punishment resulted in a de facto moratorium on executions in the United States. On 29 June 1972, in Furman v. Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that every state death penalty law in the U.S. was unconstitutional because the death penalty was being unfairly and arbitrarily assigned. At that time, there were 52 men in Texas with death sentences.

Governor Preston Smith commuted all of their sentences to life, and death row was clear by March 1973. In 1973, Texas passed a new statue to standardize the way the death penalty was assessed. Juries quickly began imposing death sentences under the new statute, and death row began filling up again in 1974. In 1977, Texas adopted lethal injection as its means of execution, adopting a three-drug protocol developed by medical examiner Jay Chapman and anesthesiologist Stanley Deutsch for the state of Oklahoma. The first lethal injection was given on 7 December 1982. 1982-1991: Lethal Injection Begins During the moratorium years, death row was moved from the downtown Huntsville unit to the brand-new Ellis unit, which opened in July 1965. The execution chamber remained at the Huntsville unit. When Texas resumed executions in 1982, prisoners were transported from the Ellis unit, 12 miles north of town, to be executed. Although executions resumed in 1982, they were rare at first.

One execution was carried out in 1982, and none in 1983. For the next eight years, executions were carried out at the average rate of five per year. Thus, in the first ten years of capital punishment in Texas, there were 43 executions. In 1989, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Penry v. Lynaugh that juries had to be allowed to hear and consider mitigating evidence, such as a defendant's history of mental retardation and child abuse, when imposing death sentences. Some prisoners' death sentences were vacated as a result of this decision. The Texas legislature modified the sentencing instructions given to juries in 1991, resulting in the three-question format that is in use to this day. 1992-1999: Pace of Executions Increases In 1992, the number of executions jumped dramatically. Over the next four years, 62 prisoners were executed, an average of fifteen per year. In 1995, the Texas legislature passed a law requiring certain death-row appeals to be filed concurrently.

The intent of this law was to reduce the amount of time prisoners spent on death row waiting for their legal appeals to be pursued. The short-term effect of this new law was that executions virtually stopped while it was being appealed. From March 1996 to January 1997, there was only one execution in the state. However, after the law withstood legal challenge, executions resumed at double their old pace. Over the next three years, there were 92 executions. On Thanksgiving Day, 1998, seven death-row prisoners attempted to escape from the Ellis unit. Six were captured on prison grounds, but one prisoner, Martin Gurule, successfully made it outside. However, Gurule was mortally wounded in the attempt, and on 3 December he was found dead in the Trinity river, not far from Huntsville. Because of this incident, Texas began moving the men on death row from the Ellis unit to the Terrell unit. The Terrell unit, opened in 1993, was considered more secure than the Ellis unit. It is located just outside the town of Livingston, about 45 minutes from Huntsville. By law, prisoners are still transported to Huntsville to be executed.

The Terrell unit was renamed the Polunsky unit in 2001. 2000-2005: National Scrutiny In 2000, several factors caused the death penalty to come under scrutiny unprecedented since the late 1960's to early 1970's. In additon to the long-standing charges that the death penalty is cruel, unfair to minorities, and a barbaric, inhumane instrument unfit for a civilized society, opponents of capital punishment began pressing their belief that innocent people were being executed in the United States. In January 2000, after several well-publicized exonerations of death row inmates in Illinois, Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on executions in his state until a study could be undertaken to evaluate the practice of capital punishment. Texas came under especially strong national scrutiny in 2000 for two reasons: one is because it led the nation in executions -- more than all other 37 death-penalty states combined. The other reason is because Texas Governor George W. Bush was running for President, and by March, he had effectively won the Republican Party nomination.

One of the main weapons death-penalty opponents weilded in the attack on capital punishment was the availability of DNA testing. DNA testing methods were much more sophisticated in 2000 than when most death-row inmates at that time were convicted, so the argument was that DNA evidence should be retested in cases where the defendant's guilt was in doubt. On 1 June, Gov. Bush issued a 30-day stay of execution to convicted murderer Ricky McGinn, for DNA testing. McGinn was convicted of raping and murdering his 12-year-old stepdaughter in 1993. McGinn was executed in September after the tests came back positive. The legislature passed a law in 2001 guaranteeing DNA testing to any condemned prisoner whose innocence might be secured as a result. The other principal issue of the early 2000's was whether prisoners who are mentally retarded should be executed. Several states passed laws banning the execution of the mentally retarded. The Texas legislature passed such a law in 2001, but Governor Rick Perry vetoed it, noting that Texas law already protected the mentally incompetent from execution, and that juries should be allowed to decide whether a convicted killer deserves the death penalty.

On 20 June 2002, however, the U.S. Supreme Court found in Atkins v. Virginia that a "national consensus" had developed that executing mentally retarded prisoners is cruel and unusual punishment, and therefore the Court ruled it unconstitutional. The Court left it to the states to determine how mental retardation would be determined. Between 2000 and 2005, the average number of executions per year in Texas declined from the high 30's to the low 20's. The reaons for this decline could be debated, and may have little to do with the above changes in death penalty law. As of this writing, no Texas death row prisoner has been exonerated by DNA evidence, and the number of prisoners who have had their sentences overturned on the basis of mental retardation has been small. One feasable explanation for the rather marked drop in the pace of executions after 2000 is that laws and court decisions in the 1990's that were designed to reduce a building backlog of death penalty cases accomplished just that, and after that backlog was cleared, the number of executions per year resumed at a more moderate pace.

The Supreme Court further restricted the application of the death penalty in 2005, when it ruled that prisoners who commited their capital offenses when they were under age 18 could not be executed. Following this ruling, 29 prisoners who were 17 at the time of their offenses were removed from death row. 2005 to date: Decline in Death Row Population In 2005, Texas changed the law so that capital murderers sentenced to life in prison instead of given the death penalty would be ineligible for parole. Advocates of this law hoped that jurors would be more likely to sentence an offender to life, knowing that he could not be paroled in the future, and that the number of death sentences imposed would be reduced. So far, this appears to be the case. Prior to 2005, jurors were typically sending 30 or prisoners per year to death row, but since then, the highest number of death sentences imposed in a year has been 15. In every year since 2005, the number of prisoners removed from death row by execution, natural death, or resentencing has been larger than the number of new death sentences imposed.

Therefore, the population of death row has dropped from 446 prisoners at the beginning of 2005 to 275 prisoners at the beginning of 2015. The number of prisoners currently on death row is the lowest it has been since 1989. In 2011, Texas and other states using lethal injection changed the chemical makeup of the lethal injection, due to a worldwide shortage of one of the drugs that had been used since 1982. Also in 2011, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice stopped providing special last meals to condemned inmates. This long-standing policy was changed at the request of state senator John Whitmire after inmate Lawrence Brewer declined to take a bite of the lavish feast he had ordered. Condemned inmates are now given a last meal from the same menu available to the rest of the prison unit. Copyright © 2002-2017 by David Carson. Unauthorized publication, either printed or electronic, is prohibited. This includes posting to Usenet, blogs, and message boards. Methods of Execution Methods of Execution 1000+ Death Penalty Links In Indiana prior to 1913, all executions were by hanging.

From 1913 through 1994, all executions were by electric chair. Since 1995, all executions have been by lethal injection. Current execution procedure is found at Indiana Code 35-38-6 and requires that the lethal injection execution take place inside the walls of the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City before sunrise. IC 35-38-6-1 Execution Procedure (a) The punishment of death shall be inflicted by intravenous injection of a lethal substance or substances into the convicted person: (1) in a quantity sufficient to cause the death of the convicted person; and (2) until the convicted person is dead. (b) The death penalty shall be inflicted before the hour of sunrise on a date fixed by the sentencing court. However, the execution must not occur until at least one hundred (100) days after the conviction. (c) The superintendent of the state prison, or persons designated by the superintendent, shall designate the person who is to serve as the executioner. (d) The department of correction may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 necessary to implement subsection(a). [As added by P.L.311-1983, SEC.3.

Amended by P.L.294-1995, SEC.1; P.L.20-2002, SEC.1.] In the 36 states, the Federal Government, and U.S. Military that currently have death penalty statutes, five different methods of execution are prescribed: Lethal Injection, Electrocution, Lethal Gas, Firing Squad, and Hanging. All jurisdictions provide for execution by lethal injection. 16 jurisdictions provide for alternative methods of execution, contingent upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Most recently, Maryland (2013), Connecticut (2012), Illinois (2011), New Mexico (2009), New Jersey (2007), and New York (2007) have abolished the death penalty. Three of these states (Connecticut, Maryland, and New Mexico) have recently repealed their death penalty statutes, but the laws are apparently not retroactive and those on death row may still be subject to execution.

Lethal Injection Electrocution Lethal Gas Firing Squad Alabama Arkansas Washington Arizona - Authorizes lethal injection for persons sentenced after November 15, 1992; inmates sentenced before that date may select lethal injection or gas. Arkansas - Authorizes lethal injection for those whose offense occurred on or after July 4, 1983; inmates whose offense occurred before that date may select lethal injection or electrocution. Connecticut - Authorizes lethal injection for inmates whose capital offense occurred prior to April 25, 2012. Delaware - Authorizes hanging if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional by a court of competent jurisdiction. Kentucky - Authorizes lethal injection for persons sentenced on or after March 31, 1998; inmates sentenced before that date may select lethal injection or electrocution. New Hampshire - Authorizes hanging only if lethal injection cannot be given. New Mexico - Authorizes lethal injection for those whose capital offense occurred prior to July 1, 2009. Oklahoma - Authorizes electrocution if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional, and firing squad if both lethal injection and electrocution are held to be unconstitutional.

Tennessee - Authorizes lethal injection for those whose capital offense occurred after December 31, 1998; inmates whose offense occurred before that date may select electrocution by written waiver. Utah - Authorizes firing squad if lethal injection is held unconstitutional. Inmates who selected execution by firing squad prior to May 3, 2004, may still be entitled to execution by that method. Wyoming - Authorizes lethal gas if lethal injection is held to be unconstitutional. Federal Government - The method of execution of federal prisoners is lethal injection, pursuant to 28 CFR, Part 26. For offenses prosecuted under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the execution method is that of the state in which the conviction took place (18 U.S.C. 3596).

STATE STATUTES / METHOD OF EXECUTION Jurisdiction Lethal Injection or Electrocution or Firing Squad State Method LETHAL INJECTION Procedure: State statutes typically provide: "The punishment of death must be inflicted by continuous, intravenous administration of a lethal quantity of an ultrashort-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent until death is pronounced by a licensed physician according to accepted standards of medical practice." The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a combination of three drugs. The first, sodium thiopental or sodium pentothal, is a barbiturate that renders the prisoner unconscious. The second, pancuronium bromide, is a muscle relaxant that paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs. The third, potassium chloride, causes cardiac arrest. Each chemical is lethal in the amounts administered. The inmate is escorted into the execution chamber and is strapped onto a gurney with ankle and wrist restraints. The inmate is connected to a cardiac monitor which is connected to a printer outside the execution chamber. An IV is started in two usable veins, one in each arm, and a flow of normal saline solution is administered at a slow rate.

One line is held in reserve in case of a blockage or malfunction in the other. At the wardenï¿½s signal, 5.0 grams of sodium pentothal (in 20 cc of diluent) is administered, then the line is flushed with sterile normal saline solution. This is followed by 50 cc of pancuronium bromide, a saline flush, and finally, 50 cc of potassium chloride. (See California Execution Procedures). The most common problem encountered is collapsing veins and the inability to properly insert the IV. Some states allow for a Thorazine or sedative injection to facilitate IV insertion. History: Lethal injection had first been proposed as a means of execution in 1888 when New York considered it, but ultimately opted for electrocution. In 1977, Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection. Texas performed the first execution by lethal injection in 1982 with the execution of Charlie Brooks. Current Application: 20 states authorize lethal injection as the sole method of execution.

16 other states provide for lethal injection as the primary method of execution, but provide alternative methods depending upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Since 2008, almost 90% of all U.S. executions have been by lethal injection. ELECTROCUTION Procedure: State statutes typically provide: "The sentence shall be executed by causing to pass through the body of the convict a current of electricity of sufficient intensity to cause death, and the application and continuance of such current through the body of such convict shall continue until such convict is dead." The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a wooden chair with restraints and connections to an electric current. The offender enters the execution chamber and is placed in the electric chair. The chair is constructed of oak and is set on a rubber matting and bolted to a concrete floor. Lap, chest, arm, and forearm straps are secured. A leg piece (anklet) is laced to the offender's right calf and a sponge and electrode is attached. The headgear consists of a metal headpiece covered with a leather hood which conceals the offender's face.

The metal part of the headpiece consists of a copper wire mesh screen to which the electrode is brazened. A wet sponge is placed between the electrode and the offender's scalp. The safety switch is closed. The circuit breaker is engaged. The execution control panel is activated. The automatic cycle begins with the programmed 2,300 volts (9.5 amps) for eight seconds, followed by 1,000 volts (4 amps) for 22 seconds, followed by 2,300 volts (9.5 amps) for eight seconds. When the cycle is complete, the equipment is disconnected and the manual circuit behind the chair is disengaged. If the offender is not pronounced dead, the execution cycle is then repeated. (See Florida Execution Procedures). The most common problems encountered include burning of varying degrees to parts of the body, and a failure of the procedures to cause death without repeated shocks. Witness accounts of many botched executions over the years have likely caused electrocution to be replaced with lethal injection as the most common method of execution. History: In 1888, New York became the first state to adopt electrocution as its method of execution.

William Kemmler was the first man executed by electrocution in 1890. See, In re Kemmler, 136 U.S. 436 (1890). The last state to adopt electrocution as a method of execution was in 1949. From 1930-1980 it was clearly the most common method of execution in the United States. Current Application: No state currently uses electrocution as the sole method of execution. Nine other states provide for electrocution as an alternative method to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Of the countries outside the United States that impose capital punishment, none prescribe execution by electrocution. Both the Humane Society of the United States and the American Veterinarian Medical Association condemn electrocution as a method of euthanasia for animals. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, 158 (11.6%) convicted murderers executed were by electric chair.

(Florida 44, Virginia 31, Alabama 24, Georgia 23, Louisiana 20, South Carolina 7, Indiana 3, Nebraska 3, Kentucky 1, Arkansas 1, Tennessee 1.) The last was Robert Charles Gleason Jr. in Virginia on January 16, 2013). LETHAL GAS Procedure: State statutes typically and simply provide: "The punishment of death must be inflicted by the administration of a lethal gas." The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a steel airtight execution chamber, equipped with a chair and attached restraints. The inmate is restrained at his chest, waist, arms, and ankles, and wears a mask during the execution. The chair is equipped with a metal container beneath the seat. Cyanide pellets are placed in this container. A metal canister is on the floor under the container filled with a sulfuric acid solution. There are three executioners, and each executioner turns one key. When the three keys are turned, an electric switch causes the bottom of the cyanide container to open allowing the cyanide to fall into the sulfuric acid solution, producing a lethal gas.

Unconsciousness can occur within a few seconds if the prisoner takes a deep breath. However, if he or she holds their breath death can take much longer, and the prisoner usually goes into wild convulsions. A heart monitor attached to the inmate is read in the control room, and after the warden pronounces the inmate dead, ammonia is pumped into the execution chamber to neutralize the gas. Exhaust fans then remove the inert fumes from the chamber into two scrubbers that contain water and serve as a neutralizing agent. The neutralizing process takes approximately 30 minutes from the time the offender's death is determined. Death is estimated to usually occur within 6 to 18 minutes of the lethal gas emissions. (See North Carolina Execution Procedures). The most common problems encountered are the obvious agony suffered by the inmate and the length of time to cause death. History: The use of a gas chamber for execution was inspired by the use of poisonous gas in World War I, as well as the popularity of the gas oven as a means of suicide. Nevada became the first state to adopt execution by lethal gas in 1924 and carried out the first execution in 1924.

Since then it has served as the means of carrying out the death sentence 31 times. Lethal gas was seen as an improvement over other forms of execution, because it was less violent and did not disfigure or mutilate the body. The last execution by lethal gas took place in Arizona in 1999. Current Application: Only 4 states, Arizona, California, Missouri, and Wyoming, currently authorize lethal gas as a method of execution, all as an alternative to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of lethal injection being held unconstitutional. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, 11 of 1,389 (01.0%) convicted murderers executed were by the administration of lethal gas. Most recently, Walter LeGrand elected Lethal Gas in Arizona on March 3, 1999. HANGING Procedure: Prior to any execution, the gallows area trap door and release mechanisms are inspected for proper operation.

The rope, which is of manila hemp of at least 3/4"and not more than 1 1/4"in diameter and approximately 30 feet in length, is soaked and then stretched while drying to eliminate any spring, stiffness, or tendency to coil. The hangman's knot, which is tied pursuant to military regulations, is treated with wax, soap, or clear oil, to ensure that the rope slides smoothly through the knot. The end of the rope which does not contain the noose is tied to a grommet in the ceiling and then is tied off to a metal T-shaped bracket, which takes the force delivered by the offender's drop. Additionally, prior to an execution, the condemned offender's file is reviewed to determine if there are any unusual characteristics the offender possesses that might warrant deviation from field instructions on hanging. A physical examination and measuring process is conducted to assure almost instant death and a minimum of bruising. If careful measuring and planning is not done, strangulation, obstructed blood flow, or beheading could result. At the appropriate time on execution day, the inmate, in restraints, is escorted to the gallows area and is placed standing over a hinged trap door from which the offender will be dropped.

Following the offender's last statement, a hood is placed over the offender's head. Restraints are also applied. If the offender refuses to stand or cannot stand, he is placed on a collapse board. A determination of the proper amount of the drop of the condemned offender through the trap door is calculated using a standard military execution chart for hanging. The "drop" must be based on the prisoner's weight, to deliver 1260 foot_pounds of force to the neck. The noose is then placed snugly around the convict's neck, behind his or her left ear, which will cause the neck to snap. The trap door then opens, and the convict drops. If properly done, death is caused by dislocation of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, or by asphyxiation. A button mechanically releases the trap door and escorts then move to the lower floor location to assist in the removal of the offender's body. (See Washington Execution Procedures). History: Hanging is the oldest method of execution in the United States, but fell into disfavor in the 20th century after many botched attempts, and was replaced by electrocution as the most common method.

There have been only 3 executions by hanging since 1977: Westley Dodd (WA 1993), Charles Campbell (WA 1994), and Billy Bailey (DE 1996). Current Application: Only 3 states, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Washington, currently authorize hanging as a method of execution, all as an alternative to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, whether injection is ï¿½impractical," or the possibility of lethal injection being held unconstitutional. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, only 3 of 1,389 (0.3%) convicted murderers executed were by hanging. Most recently, Billy Bailey elected Hanging in Delaware on January 25, 1996. FIRING SQUAD Procedure: Shooting can be carried out by a single executioner who fires from short range at the back of the head or neck as in China. The traditional firing squad is made up of three to six shooters per prisoner who stand or kneel opposite the condemned who is usually tied to a chair or to a stake.

Normally the shooters aim at the chest, since this is easier to hit than the head, causing rupture of the heart, great vessels, and lungs so that the condemned person dies of hemorrhage and shock. It is not unusual for the officer in charge to have to give the prisoner a pistol shot to the head to finish them off after the initial volley has failed to kill them. The Utah statute authorizing execution by firing squad only provides: "If the judgment of death is to be carried out by shooting, the executive director of the department or his designee shall select a five-person firing squad of peace officers." At the appropriate time, the condemned offender is led to the execution area or chamber, which is used for both lethal injection and firing squad executions. The offender is placed in a specially designed chair which has a pan beneath it to catch and conceal blood and other fluids. Restraints are applied to the offender's arms, legs, chest and head. A head restraint is applied loosely around the offender's neck to hold his neck and head in an upright position. The offender is dressed in a dark blue outfit with a white cloth circle attached by Velcro to the area over the offender's heart.

Behind the offender are sandbags to absorb the volley and prevent ricochets. Approximately 20 feet directly in front of the offender is a wall. This wall has firing ports for each member of the firing squad. The weapons used are 30_30 caliber rifles. No special ammunition is used. Following the offender's statement, a hood is placed over the offender's head. The warden leaves the room. The firing squad members stand in the firing position. They support their rifles on the platform rests. With their rifle barrels in the firing ports, the team members sight through open sights on the white cloth circle on the offender's chest. On the command to fire, the squad fires simultaneously. One squad member has a blank charge in his weapon but no member knows which member is designated to receive this blank charge. (See Utah Execution Procedures). History: In recent history only three inmates have been executed by firing squad, all in Utah: Gary Gilmore (1977), John Albert Taylor, and Ronnie Lee Gardner (2010). While the method was popular with the military in times of war, there has been only one such execution since the Civil War: Private Eddie Slovak in WWII.

Current Application: Only 2 states, Oklahoma and Utah, currently authorize shooting as a method of execution, all as an alternative to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, whether injection is ï¿½impractical," or the possibility of lethal injection being held unconstitutional. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, only 3 (0.2%) of the 1,389 convicted murderers executed were by firing squad. Most recently, Ronnie Lee Gardner elected a Firing Squad in Utah on June 18, 2010.

Question: The first US execution by lethal injection was carried out in December 1982 in which state?
Answer: Texas