Haunting Photos Of America’s Execution Chambers

3 years ago

1. Lethal Injection - Florida State Prison

Image source Florida Dept Of CorrectionsFlorida's lethal injection comprises of a cocktail of a three-drugs formula. These include the use of etomidate to sedate the prisoner, a paralytic to stop any movement and then potassium chloride to stop the prisoner's heart. This formula was decided by the Florida Department of Corrections.

2. Execution Chamber - Idaho Maximum Security Institution

Image source CorbisIdaho Maximum Security Institution is a maximum security prison and one of a cluster of 7 detention facilities known as the 'South Boise Prison Complex'. It houses Idaho's death row for men and the most violent of offenders, many of the being mass murders and multi-rapists.

3. Electric Chair - Greensville Correctional Facility, Virginia

Image source Lucinda DevlinRecent efforts to make lethal injection unavailable have led some States to consider returning to electrocution. In Virginia, the electric chair remains an option and it was last used on January 16, 2013. The State of Virginia requires ordinary citizens to act as witnesses for the executions.

4. Execution Chamber - Indiana State Prison

Image source Indiana Dept Of CorrectionsThe Indiana State Prison was established in 1860 and one of its most famous prisoners to be in the Michigan City prison was John Dillinger, the bank robber. The jail houses all the male death row inmates in the State. The prison was even part of a tv documentary 'Inside Death Row'.

5. Execution Chamber - Washington State Penitentiary

Image source Ted S WarrenKnown as Walla Walla, this prison is the second largest in the State. It was the site of Washington State's death row where executions were carried out, both lethal injection and hanging. In 2018, the law was changed, abolishing capital punishment in the State.

6. Firing Squad - Utah State Prison

Image source Corbis

Utah State Prison will still allow death by firing squad if lethal injection is deemed to be unsuitable for the prisoner for various medical and mental health reasons. If a prisoner made the decision to be killed by firing squad before 2004, their wish would still be carried out.

7. Lethal Injection Chamber, Territorial Correctional Facility, Colorado

Image source Lucinda Devlin

Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility (CTCF) is a high security prison and the oldest one in the Colorado Dept Of Corrections system. Built in 1871 as a territorial prison, it became a state prison in 1876 and housed the lethal injection chamber which was widely used at one time.

8. Witness Room - Broad River Correctional Facility, South Carolina

Image source Lucinda DevlinThe institution houses inmates that are deaf and blind as well as those that require regular dialysis. Sex offenders are to be found here where they undergo treatment. Additionally, the Capital Punishment facility is here and carries out South Carolina's executions.

9. Gas Chamber - Central Prison, North Carolina

Image source Lucinda Devlin

For many years Central Prison in North Carolina used the gas chamber as its main method of execution. As various States, one by one, had the law changed to disallow this, Central Prison followed some time after and now only uses lethal injection for its executions.

10. Execution Chamber - Oklahoma State Penitentiary

Image source Jerry Laizure

Oklahoma State Penitentiary's refurbished execution has been updated following decades of use. The chamber features $34,000 worth of new medical equipment including a $6,000 ultrasound machine to help locate veins and a $12,500 surgical table. Seems a lot of money to invest on a death row inmate.

11. Gallows - Department of Corrections, Delaware

Image source Lucinda Gallows

In response to the new law, the Department of Corrections rebuilt the gallows which were used for hanging. It purchased a mobile lethal injection chamber in 1992 and on March 14th that year, the execution of Steven Brian Pennell took place, the first execution in the State since 1946.

12. Lethal Injection Chamber - South Dakota State Penitentiary

Image source Amber HuntSouth Dakota State Penitentiary is home to a large number of the most violent and dangerous offenders in the State and is also where death row inmates are held. This facility carries out death sentences in the State's only lethal injection execution chamber.

13. Execution Chamber - Kentucky State Penitentiary

Image source Stephen LanceKnown as the 'Castle on the Cumberland', Kentucky State Penitentiary is a maximum security prison which can hold over 800 prisoners. A large number of the inmates are extremely violent and are held there when other prisons cannot cope with them. The execution chamber is situated there.

14. Lethal Injection Chamber - Nevada State Prison

Image source Lucinda DevlinA new execution chamber costing $858,000 was agreed by the courts for the maximum security prison in Nevada. This State still has the death penalty and is required by law to use lethal injection for executions. It has recently become the only execution chamber in Nevada.

15. Execution Chamber - Riverbend Maximum Security Institute, Nashville

Image source Mark HumphreyThis prison opened in 1989 and replaced its 100 year old neighbour, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. The prison's overall mission is to ensure the safety of the public which is a difficult task as some of the most dangerous male criminal are housed here. Prisoners due to be executed have rioted in the past.

16. Lethal Injection Chamber - Parchman State Penitentiary, Mississippi

Image source Lucinda DevlinOriginally, Parchman State Penitentiary was one of two prisons which was designated for black men. Can you imagine the uproar if that was the case these days? The other prison housed other racial and gender groups. The lethal injection chamber was shared between both jails.

17. Execution Chamber - Oregon State Penitentiary

Image source Jack SmithOregon State Penitentiary, sometimes called Oregon State Prison, is a maximum security prison in Oregon, United States. It opened in 1851 and holds over 2000 inmates. It is the oldest prison in the State and at one time carried out a huge number of executions by lethal injection.

18. Execution Chamber - Diagnostic and Classification Prison, Georgia

Image source Rie FeldGeorgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison (GDCP) opened in 1969 and is a Correction prison for men only. The men awaiting execution are classed as extremely violent and are handled by specially trained prison wardens who have had to use guns on inmates when they feared for their own lives.

19. Execution Chamber - Montana State Prison

Image source Walter HinickMontana State Prison (MSP) is situated in the Deer Lodge valley and contains nearly 1,600 male inmates in a massive, secure compound. The facility serves inmates requiring low to high levels of security and provides them with skills to get back into the community. It does, however, have another building on the site which is the execution chamber, used less often than in years past.

20. Execution Chamber - State Correctional Institute, Rockview, Pennsylvania

Image source Pennsylvania Dept Of CorrectionPennsylvania's execution chamber is located in the grounds of Rockview. Condemned prisoners are transported to Rockview from death rows in maximum security prisons. They are sent there 7-10 days before they are executed. It's a sombre journey knowing you are being driven to your death.

21. Lethal Injection Chamber - Texas State Prison

Image source Lucinda DevlinAs Texas have their own separate laws to many other American States, it's no surprise that their prisons are always full. The prisoners on death row are allowed to receive emails (at a cost) and are allowed to read 'suitable' books. Their families are permitted to send them in care packages. This might take the prisoners' minds off their upcoming deaths.

22. Lethal Injection Chamber - Cummins Unit, Grady, Arkansas

Image source Lucinda DevlinThe Tucker Maximum Security Unit transferred to The Cummins Unit, an Arkansas Department Of Correction prison, which opened in 1902. A massive building, it housed Arkansas's male death row inmates until 1986 and was the home of the execution chamber.

23. Lethal Injection Chamber -Louisiana State Prison

Image source Lucinda DevlinPharmaceutical companies no longer permit certain drugs that have been part of lethal injection protocol to be used in executions. Louisiana Corrections officials have ceased efforts to obtain such drugs. The sole method of execution under Louisiana law is lethal injection.

24. Electric Chair - Alabama State Prison

Image source Lucinda DevlinAlthough all forms of execution are enough to make us feel uneasy, the sight of an electric chair is probably the most frightening of all. Alabama were a fan of the chair for murderous crimes although lethal injection has been used in its place since 2002, unless a prisoner requests the chair.

25. Injection Table - San Quentin State Prison

Image source San Francisco ChronicleBetween 1893 and 1937, over 200 prisoners were executed at San Quentin by hanging (watched by an audience). After this time it was thought to be more humane (!!) to use lethal injection, a cocktail of 3 drugs which would be quicker and less traumatic than hanging.

26. Death Chamber - Southern Ohio Correctional Facility

Image source Gary GardinerSouthern Ohio used both methods as the death penalty, electric chair and lethal injection. Prisoners were thought to read up about the 'easiest' way to die and often changed their minds days before they were due to be executed. Either way, they were going to die for their sins.Death Chamber, Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville, Ohio, 1997

27. Gas Chamber - Arizona Department of Corrections

Image source Lucinda DevlinIn times of old, the gas chamber was commonly used as the death penalty for those on death row. However, after November 1992, the prisoner had a choice of the gas chamber or lethal injection. Lethal injection was mainly chosen as it was thought to be a quicker death.

28. Gas Chamber Dismantling - San Quentin State Prison

Image source Linda Parker HamiltonThe gas chamber at San Quentin was dismantled in 2019 on the instructions of Governor Gavin Newsom. He issued a moratorium on capital punishment in California and ordered the execution sites to be dismantled. Whilst the decision was almost whole heartedly supported, a few demonstrators gathered at the site to protest.

29. Death Row - South Carolina Department Of Corrections

Image source San Francisco ChronicleA trial took place this year which challenged South Carolina’s execution methods. A review of the State's death penalty revealed a pattern of discrimination, inconclusive evidence and high error rates when implementing the punishment. The outcome has still to be decided.

30. Interview Via Phone - Huntsville Prison, Texas

Image source Business InsiderTexas death row inmate, Michael Rodriguez, was known as one of the 'Texas 7', a group of prisoners who escaped from the John B. Connally Unit near Kennedy, Texas. Rodriguez was the first one to be re-captured and here he is taking part in an interview with the courts by phone, a common practice amongst death row prisoners.

31. Temporary Reprieve - Huntsville Prison, Texas

Image source WikipediaJames D. Autry, a convicted murderer of a convenience store clerk, was executed by a lethal injection of sodium thiopental. He had already come within half an hour of death a few weeks previously. He had been lying on a gurney with needles already in his arms, carrying a saline solution in preparation for a 3-drug lethal cocktail, when Justice Byron R. White of the Supreme Court issued a stay.

32. Execution Chamber - Huntsville Prison, Texas

Image source NZ HeraldJonathan Wayne Nobles was executed in 1998 in Texas for a double murder. He had previously been given a reprieve but wasn't as lucky this time. As the lethal injection was administered, he sang the words 'mother and child' from 'Silent Night' the Christmas hymn.

33. Electric Chair Went Wrong - Huntsville Prison, Texas

Image source NZ HeraldWhen Clayton D. Lockett, a 38-year old Oklahoma man, was convicted of shooting a young woman and burying her alive, he was sentenced to execution by lethal injection. For some reason, the injection wasn't all that lethal as Lockett tried to get off the table. This went on for an unbelievable 45 minutes, until he died - of a heart attack.

34. Lethal Injection Chamber - U S Penitentiary, Indiana

Image source NPR The only Native American on federal death row was put to death, despite objections from many Navajo leaders who had pleaded with the then President Donald Trump to halt the execution on the grounds it would violate tribal culture and sovereignty. The crime was that of multiple murders.

35. Holding Cell - Huntsville Prison, Texas

Image source Human Rights WatchFor decades, scores of inmates were brought to the death house which was a holding cell at Huntsville. They will have spent their last hours just feet away from crates holding a disassembled 'Old Sparky'. This was the electric chair where 400 Texas prisoners were executed from the 1920s until the 1960s.

36. Lethal Injection Chamber - Huntsville, Texas

Image source NZ HeraldPonchai Wilkerson spat out a handcuff key just seconds before he was executed for murder in March 2000. He had also been involved in drive-by shootings and was described as 'a loose cannon'. His family had no wish to see him before he was executed by lethal injection.

37. Lethal Injection Chamber - Holman Correctional Facility, Alabama

Image source Death Penalty NewsStatistics show that Alabama's lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility has the highest per capita death penalty rates in America. In previous years, the courts have imposed more death sentences than Texas. This is shocking bearing in mind Texas has a population five times larger.

38. Refurbished Gas Chamber Plans - Arizona Department Of Corrections

Image source New York TimesThe State Prison in Florence, Arizona, houses the gas chamber. It was built in 1949 and mothballed for over 20 years until its 'refurbishment'. The plan is to change the gas used to kill death row inmates to hydrogen cyanide, the same lethal gas that was used at Auschwitz.

39. Architects To Design Execution Chambers Across America

Image source The SpacesThere has been a petition going around the 'Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility'. They argue that that they should be allowed to refuse to design up to date execution facilities. They say that the idea of architects designing death camps is likened to doctors being used as executioners. This is why execution chambers that are still in use go back over 100 years.

40. Preparing For Execution - The Last Day Of A Prisoner's Life

Image source NZ Herald...... and so the preparations begin for the execution. The evening before, the prisoner is handcuffed and thoroughly searched. They are taken by car to the building known as the death house and this is the last time the prisoner will ever see daylight again. After years of waiting, it's now about to happen.

41. Last Night's Sleep Before Execution

Image source NZ HeraldThe prisoner is moved to the death house the night before the execution at around 9pm. They will be given their own cell with a bed, toilet, shower and desk. The cell is very close to the execution chamber, a matter of steps away. The prisoner is unlikely to get much sleep as the end is almost upon them.

42. Morning of Execution

Image source The Marshall ProjectThe prisoner is woken up at 4.30 am on the day of execution. This is to give time for any last minute petitions for a stay of execution or legal issues that need resolving and is not an uncommon practice. The prisoner will have access to a desk to write down their thoughts and may request the services of a chaplain.

43. Hours Before Execution

Image source New York MagazineIf the prisoner has requested visitors on the final day, they can only stay until 8 am. This would probably include a parent, sibling or close relative or friend of the inmate. Very little is said apart from the goodbyes and often a lot of apologising and tears from the prisoner.

44. Final phone call

Image source WikipediaOn the day of the execution the prisoner is permitted to speak to his/her family by phone. A maximum of 3 phone calls is allowed and they are, as would be expected, very emotional as the end is looming nearer and nearer for the inmate. It's rare for a prisoner to show no feelings when it gets to this stage.

45. Death Chamber Equipment Tested

Image source WikipediaOn the day of the execution, staff must check the equipment that will be used. The straps on the gurney are tested to make sure they can hold the prisoner and the phone linking the chamber to the governor's office is also checked in case there is a last minute reprieve. If an electric chair is to be used, all the components are tested.

What actually happens during the execution... 1. The Prisoner Is Prepared For Execution Day

Image Source / AP NewsThe usual routine is carried out for a prisoner on death row for their execution. They will be granted a final meal of their choice, offered the opportunity to speak with the prison pastor and eventually escorted from the cell when the time for execution arrives. The electric chair is not the sole method of execution these days, but it is one known option.

2. The Witnesses Are Brought In

Image Source / New York MagazineEvery execution is required to have witnesses, even if family members are present as witnesses. Executions are always viewed through a viewing window and broadcast through screens and speakers (as usually happens with the lethal injection). Witnesses will be escorted through the prison to the viewing room.

3. The Prisoner Is Shaved

Image Source / Encyclopaedia BritannicaIn order for death by electric chair to be more successful, the prisoner needs to be shaved. This only needs to be done on the places the electrodes (the electrical conductors) will touch the body - namely, the legs and the head. The reason for shaving is to reduce resistance to electricity that hairs might cause.

4. The Prisoner Will Be Strapped To The Chair

Image Source / BBCThe prisoner will need to be strapped firmly in place to the chair. For electrocution, the chair is in an upright position, and not a led-down gurney like with the lethal injection. The prisoner is bound in an upright sitting position, with thick belt straps put in place across the chest, groin, legs and arms.

5. There May Be Violent Movement Of Limbs During The Electrocution

Image Source / Encyclopaedia BritannicaThe reason that the prisoner needs to be strapped down so tightly into the chair is because of the potential for limbs to flail violently. This is why so many straps are needed in various places. The movement of limbs can be so severe it can even cause dislocation.

6. A Wet Sponge Is Placed On The Head

Image Source / BiolindoA wet sponge is used to better conduct electricity and make for a quicker, less painful death. The sponge needs to have the right amount of moisture to efficiently conduct the current - if it's too wet, it could risk short-circuiting the current. And if you're a fan of the movie The Green Mile, then you'll know what happens when a dry sponge is used...

7. A Metal Skullcap Fitted With Electrodes Will Be Pulled Onto The Head

Image Source / History TodayThe target of electrocution is directly into the head to hit the brain. This is why a type of skullcap is fitted and pulled over the prisoner's head with the electrodes attached. The scalp should cover all of the head as well as the forehead. The skullcap should be pulled over the sponge so the sponge is between the cap and head.

8. An Additional Electrode Is Placed On The Leg

Image Source / Simple WikipediaIn order to give a better chance to have electrodes working in all the right places, an additional electrode is moistened with jelly made to better conduct electricity and then attached to the shaved portion of the prisoner's leg.

9. The Prisoner Is Blindfolded

Image Source / UnsplashThis is done for two reasons. It makes it easier and less personal on the executioners turning on the electric chair, that they don't have to meet the eyes of the person they're killing. For the prisoner, it means they have a moment of security in not having to look at their killers, and not having to watch as the chair is switched on.

10. The Execution Team Withdraws To The Viewing Room

Image Source / NPRThe team of people responsible for fitting the prisoner into the chair now need to withdraw. Only the executioner themselves should remain. The team withdraw to the viewing room to observe the execution carried out. This is also viewed by the witnessed who were gathered.

11. The Warden Signals For The Execution To Begin

Image Source / WikipediaWhen the moment has arrived, the warden will be the one to give the signal. They will let the executioner know when it's time. The executioner needs to wait for the official signal before they can pull the lever to begin the electric current.

12. The Lever Is Pulled

Image Source / NBC12When the signal is given, the handle is pulled to connect the power supply. The electric current will be a jolt of between 500 to 2000 volts. The duration of the voltage will be about 30 seconds, during which time the prisoner will be seen being electrocuted and - if successful - killed.

13. The Prisoner's Body Is Literally Cooked

Image Source / Electric Chair DeathsThe electric current heats the body and internal organs so severely that it is literally cooking the body. In worst cases, the body can even catch fire completely in response to the current. Witnesses to an execution by electric chair have even reported a sound like bacon being fried.

14. And It'll Smell Like It, Too

Image Source / WBIR.comYou can only imagine the horrible sicky smell of burnt flesh that must fill the small execution chamber. If the sounds are like frying bacon, then it must smell like the body being cooked, too. Especially if the prisoner catches fire, the smell of burning must be overpowering.

15. The Prisoner's Eyeballs May Actually Pop Out

Image Source / FacebookAnother reason the blindfold may be needed. Not only can the prisoner's eyeballs pop out from their head due to the surge of electricity, but they could completely come out of their socket and even rest on their cheeks.

16. Or Their Eyeballs Could Even Melt

Image Source / WikipediaOr maybe all of the above. Because of the insanely high temperatures that are forced into the body and heating everything up from the inside, the eyeballs could even melt as well as pop from the head. You'd think a blindfold would make no difference if this is the case!

17. Their Hands Might Grip The Chair

Image Source / Science Museum Group CollectionThis could be completely involuntarily if the current surge causes such violent movement of limbs, but in a lot of cases, the hands can be seen gripping the arms of the chair while strapped in as the current flows through.

18. Some Skin May Even Burn Off

Image Source / Getwell Urgent CareWith such high temperatures, and especially ones so high to potentially melt the eyeballs, it's no surprise that pieces of skin may actually burn off, too. The amount of heat rushing through the body will cause severe burns on the skin - and, in worst cases, strip the flesh away.

19. The Body Swells Up

Image Source / Vascular SocietyDue to the massive amount of heat, the body could also visibly swell up, too. The flesh can swell, burn and stretch to breaking point (as mentioned in the previous vivid point) so that the body is really being pushed to its limit.

20. You May Even See Smoke And Steam Rising

Image Source / Carr SubaruIt's no surprise that you'll see physical evidence of the burning, too, as well as smelling the scent of burnt flesh. You may actually see smoke and steam rising from the body as it's being pushed to extreme temperatures and 'cooked'.

21. The Skin Turns Red

Image Source / Medical News TodayIt's also no surprise the skin is going to visibly change colour - and, namely, bright red. The body is being heated to extreme conditions and as a response to the burns and high heat, the skin (even if not burned completely away) will turn bright red as well as swelling up.

22. Defecation, Urine, Vomit And Blood Are All Likely

Image Source / WikipediaYou hear enough stories about the body emptying its bowls when faced with death or moments of fear. For the electric chair, everything imaginable will often occur. This means defecation and urination, even vomiting, and visible blood and drool may be released, too.

23. The Electrons In The Prisoner's Body Will Move About

Image Source / Space.comWe've all had that weird sensation when we get an electric shock, like when you get a reaction on the car door. That weird feeling is actually the sensation of your own electrons moving about. For the electric chair, the current that moves through is the body's electrons running into each other in a chain.

24. The Current Is Then Turned Off

Image Source / Style WeeklyAfter the current is surged through the body, the lever is turned off. The body should then fall still. This is the time for the doctors to check whether the prisoner is still alive - but they will need to wait a moment for the body to cool down. They then check if the prisoner's heart is still beating.

25. If The Prisoner Is Still Alive, Another Jolt Will Need To Be Done

Image Source / NBC NewsElectrocutions may not actually be successful on the first try, which means the prisoner will need to be subjected to another round of electricity. It may not even work the second time, either. Basically surges need to be continually given until the prisoner is dead - no matter how long it takes.

26. The Prisoner Will Then Be Declared Dead

Image Source / QuoraWhen the electrocution has successfully been carried out and the prisoner is declared dead, the viewing window will be closed and witnesses will be escorted to leave. The body will then need to be removed for an autopsy and to prepare for the remains to be interred.

27. An Autopsy Can't Actually Be Performed Until The Prisoner Cools Down

Image Source / NPRAn autopsy of the body cannot be immediately carried out due to how hot to the touch it will be - and this isn't just about skin temperature, either. An electrocution heats up the internal organs, so coroners must wait until they cool. The body is so hot after electrocution that it can cause blisters.

28. Third Degree Burns Can Be Visible At The Electrode Sites

Image Source / NCBIThe burnt condition of the skin will be even more severe at the sites where the electrodes were attached to the skin. This will be on the scalp and the legs. The skin will most likely be black due to third degree burns.

29. The Brain Appears Cooked

Image Source / Scientific AmericanThe deputy chief medical examiner of Cook County reported that, with autopsy following the electric chair, the brain looks to be 'cooked' in most cases. It's no surprise when the head and scalp is the focus of the skullcap, with the electric surge straight into the head.

30. No One Is Fully Sure How The Electric Chair Actually Works

Image Source / WPTVIt's clear that the electricity kills the person, but it's more debateable about how. It's likely that the cause of death is the brain being paralysed by the electric current, or the body being thrown into cardiac arrest due to the extreme voltage. If a prisoner sets on fire during a failed electric chair attempt, it could even be that that ultimately kills them.