CRM/LAW C165 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Pancuronium Bromide, Sodium Thiopental, Execution By Firing Squad
13 Jun 2018
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Lethal Injection Legal History
• lethal injection
o rises post-Furman and in response to problems with electrocution and gas
o lethal cocktail (Oklahoma 1977)
▪ sodium thiopental – anesthetic
▪ pancuronium bromide – paralytic
▪ potassium chloride – stops heart
• issues for lethal injection
o incorrect dosage
o incorrect order
o kinks in IV tubes
o finding a vein
o collapse of veins
• botched executions
o more than 20 cases found by Deborah Denno
o 276 botched executions, 1890-2010
▪ out of 8,776 total executions
▪ 3%
▪ 75 lethal injection cases
o methods
▪ hanging – 3%
▪ electrocution – 2%
▪ gas – 5%
▪ lethal injection 7%
▪ firing squad – 0%
• medicalization
o lethal injection is medical procedure
o but violates Hippocratic oath
o AMA Guidelines bar MDs from taking part in executions, directly or indirectly
o so performed by non-medical personnel
▪ nurses
▪ prison personnel
▪ and by MD’s – interviews
• legal challenges to execution methods: history
o 1878 – firing squad upheld
o 1999 – challenge to Florida electric chair
▪ FL abandons before case could be heard
o 2003 – lethal injection challenges
• post-Baze protocol
o 12/8/10 – Ohio switches to 1 drug protocol
▪ after spending 2 hours successfully searching for vein in Romell Broom
▪ overdose of sodium thiopental
▪ argued that giving one massive dose of sedative would cause prisoner to
writhe, squirm, etc. which would cause the execution to be more disturbing
• public perception
o manufacturer pressure
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