After Botched Execution, Oklahoma Will Now Use Five Times More Sedative

FILE - This November 2005 file photo shows the death chamber at the Southern Ohio Corrections Facility in Lucasville, Ohio. The sole U.S. manufacturer of a key lethal injection drug said Friday, Jan. 21, 2011 that it... FILE - This November 2005 file photo shows the death chamber at the Southern Ohio Corrections Facility in Lucasville, Ohio. The sole U.S. manufacturer of a key lethal injection drug said Friday, Jan. 21, 2011 that it is ending production because of death-penalty opposition overseas _ a move that could delay executions across the United States. The current shortage of the drug in the U.S. has delayed or disrupted executions in Arizona, California, Kentucky, Ohio and Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Months after the botched execution of Clayton Derrell Lockett became national news, Oklahoma has introduced new protocol for lethal injection, the state Corrections Department announced late Tuesday.

The Oklahoman reported that the state will continue to use the sedative midazolam, but that it will now apply five times the dosage. Media access to executions also will be curtailed, dropping the number of witnesses allowed from twelve to five.

Meanwhile, lethal injection will still be carried out by an IV to the femoral vein, located along the inmate’s upper leg.

A Public Safety Department investigation attributed several problems to this practice in the case of Lockett, whose execution was botched when the drugs built up in his tissue near the insertion point. Lockett began convulsing and eventually died of a heart attack 43 minutes later.

According to the Oklahoman, the director of the Corrections Department declined to comment on the new protocol due to pending litigation.

A lawyer for death row inmates criticized the new rules, saying they bring little oversight and retain harmful practices.

“The protocol calls for less, not more transparency in executions, by limiting the number of media eyewitnesses and keeping information about the source and efficacy of the drugs from the prisoner,” attorney Dale Baich told the Oklahoman.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: