Special Sub-Topic: Executions in the U.S. Click Here To Play: Executions in the U.S.

From 1900 until 2007, how many women have been legally executed in the United States?

fifty. Of those executed, eight women were hanged, seven died in the gas chamber, nine received lethal injections, and 26 were electrocuted.

What was the first state to adopt "lethal injection" as the preferred method of execution?

Oklahoma. Oklahoma became the first in 1977.Five years later the first execution by lethal injection took place in Texas, when Charles Brooks was put to death on December 7, 1982. Lethal injection is used by 37 of the 38 states that have the death penalty. In most cases, the inmate is strapped onto a gurney and two intravenous needles are inserted into a vein, most often in the inmate's arm. At the appointed time, the inmate is injected with sodium thiopental, an anesthetic which puts the inmate to sleep. Next, fious pavuon or pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the entire muscle system and stops the inmate breathing. Finally, a flow of potassium chloride stops the heart. Death results from anesthetic overdose and respiratory and cardiac arrest while the condemned person is unconscious. The executions are performed by attendants or technicians. Medical ethics precludes doctors from participating in executions> However, a doctor sometimes will certify the inmate as dead.

For execution by means of electrocution, how many shocks are normally delivered in a single execution cycle?

three. Under normal procedures, an automated cycle of three shocks are administered to the inmate. When the cycle is started, the first shock delivers 2300 volts of electric current for eight seconds. The second shock delivers 1000 volts of current for twenty-two seconds. The third shock delivers another 2300 volts of electric current for eight seconds. If the convict is not pronounced dead following the completion of the cycle, the entire cycle is repeated.

Following an execution by lethal gas, what is the prescribed waiting time before the executed convict can by physically examined by a physician?

thirty minutes. Thirty minutes is required to neutralize and remove the lethal gas from the sealed chamber, after the convict has been pronounced dead. Death occurs within 6 to 18 minutes. The primary objection to the use of lethal gas as a means of execution is the apparent agony the prisoner experience, and the amount of time it takes before the convict is assumed dead based on monitoring equipment.

How many states use hanging as an option for legal execution?

three. The states of Delaware, New Hampshire, and Washington use hanging as an alternative form of execution. In those states, the condemned prisoner may choose hanging instead of the state's primary form of execution.

Which state does NOT have lethal injection as the primary or optional method of execution?

Nebraska. Nebraska is the only state that provides for electrocution as the sole means of execution.

In what year did the United States Supreme Court halt the death penalty and suspend all executions?

1972. In 1972, the Supreme Court banned the practice of executions. In 1976, the Supreme Court authorized the resumption of executions and allowed each state to decide whether or not to have a death penalty. The District of Columbia and twelve states chose not to have a death penalty. The states without death penalties were Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Five jurisdictions that have the death penalty have not performed any executions since 1976. Those states are Kansas, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, along with the U.S. Military.

From 1976 through October 1, 2007, how many convicted murderers have been executed in the United States?

1099. Of those executed, 929 (85%) were by lethal injection, which includes 440 of the last 444 executions. 153 convicts have faced the electric chair, 11 were executed in the gas chamber, 3 were hanged, and 2 were executed by a firing squad.

From 1976 through October 1, 2007, how many states with the death penalty performed no executions?

4. After the reinstitution of the death penalty by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1976, and through October 1, 2007, no executions have occurred in New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Kansas. Also during that period, no executions have occurred in the U.S. Military.

Since 1976, and through October 1, 2007 what state has led the nation in the total number of executions performed?

Texas. Texas has been the leader with 405 executions performed during this period. Texas accounts for 37% of all executions in the Nation. Second on the list is Virginia, where 98 executions have been carried out.