Lethal Injection

This might be a contentious topic and others might say it’s a humane way to execute, but not always. Sure it’s better than hanging, decapitation or electrocution, but the injection process isn’t foolproof.

The way it works is that there are 3 elements to lethal injection: sodium thiopental (to render you unconscious), pancuronium bromide (to paralyze you) and potassium chloride (to kill you). The thing is, even though it looks legit and like a medical procedure, it’s highly unregulated. There’s no standard dose and no rigorous testing to ensure that the inmate is indeed completely unconscious or paralyzed before they’re executed.

Some witness stories have recorded that inmates get a far too low dose of sodium thiopental, so they’re not completely out before their heart is stopped and they suffocate. Eyewitnesses have reported instances where inmates have ironed, writhed and tried to sit up. Yikes.