The Executioner's Lament

In 1977, death row inmate Gary Mark Gilmore chose to be executed by a firing squad. Gilmore was strapped to a chair at the Utah State Prison and five officers shot him. The media circus that ensued prompted a group of lawmakers in nearby Oklahoma to wonder if there might be a better way to handle executions.

They approached Dr. Jay Chapman, the state medical examiner at the time, who proposed using three drugs based loosely on anesthesia procedures at the time: one drug to knock them out, one to relax or paralyze them and a final drug that would stop their hearts. Many states quickly followed suit. The three-drug execution cocktail, which later became known as Chapman's Protocol, has been the preferred method across the U.S. ever since. But last week's botched execution – in the same state where the technique was developed — has raised questions about execution norms. Although the drugs and the question of whether they work are at the center of the debate, the reality is executions are carried out by people and people sometimes make mistakes.
 Many also struggle with their involvement for years to come.