Do people actually put alcohol on a persons skin when giving a lethal injection so they dont get an infection?

Question

Its hard to imagine
the person who gives the shot (for the death penalty) says " Here is some rubbing alcohol so you dont get infected"
" Time for the deadly Poison"
Thats kinda funny, but
I dont know is this true ?

Answer 1

According to a spokesman for the Texas Department of Corrections, which has carried out many executions by lethal injection, the technician (it's never a doctor) is in fact supposed to swab the prisoner's arm first. One presumes other states employing this method do likewise.

There are several reasons for this. Apart from its usefulness as an antiseptic, alcohol causes blood vessels to rise to the surface, making it easier to insert the needle.

More important, there's a chance the prisoner's sentence might be delayed or commuted at the last minute.

It's happened before. In October, 1983 condemned murderer James Autry was strapped to a gurney for an hour in a Texas prison with saline solution dripping into his arm. (He was awake the whole time, incidentally.)

At about the time he was scheduled to die he was told he had received a stay of execution. He was returned to his cell and not executed until the following March. Whatever you think of the death penalty, you wouldn't want the guy to die of sheer carelessness.

Which brings us to what I think is the real reason for swabbing the arm--it allows the executioners to think of themselves as professionals doing a job rather than killers.

Interviews with members of execution teams reveal that they place great stock in following proper procedures. We may be certain that if the prisoner were to choke on a chicken bone during his last meal, the authorities would spare no effort to save his life an hour prior to ending it. Indeed, if you can believe Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird column, that's already happened. "In Texas convicted murderer David Lee Herman slashed his throat on April 1 [1997], a day before his execution, but was patched up and given his lethal injection one day late," Shepherd writes.

Answer 2

I know little about lethal injections and humans, but as a vet tech I can say that when we put an animal down (put to sleep, as it is better known) we always use the rubbing alcohol first.

First reason, people have a problem with seeing their pet poked with a needle without proper sterilization techniques performed, even knowing that the animal is about to die. It's one of those things that defies reason, sure, but it gives the owner's peace of mind.

Second reason, the application of rubbing alcohol helps the vein to "pop", or stand out more clearly, making it easier to find the vein with the needle. (Euth drugs are given IV because it goes directly to the heart and kills the animal immediately, while if it were injected into the tissues it would burn painfully and would be a long and painful death, if it managed to kill the animal at all.)

My opinion is that it is one of those procedures put in to help those who DO the job have a little peace of mind that it was done properly. It seems more like watching, or giving, an injection at a doctor's office, perhaps.

Answer 3

This is true. An obvious absurdity about the system. Just fyi, here are a few solid facts about the death penalty, all verifiable and sourced. I hope that this will give you more of an idea why the death penalty just doesn't make sense.

Re: Alternatives
48 states have life without parole on the books. It means what it says, is swift and sure and is rarely appealed. Being locked in a tiny cell for 23 hours a day, forever, is certainly no picnic. Life without parole incapacitates a killer (keeps him from re-offending) and costs considerably less than the death penalty.

Re: Possibility of executing an innocent person
Over 120 people on death rows have been released with evidence of their innocence. Many had already served over 2 decades on death row. If we speed up the process we are bound to execute an innocent person. Once someone is executed the case is closed. If we execute an innocent person we are not likely to find that out and, also, the real criminal is still out there.

Re: DNA
DNA is available in no more than 10% of murder cases. It is not a miracle cure for sentencing innocent people to death. It’s human nature to make mistakes.

Re: Appeals
Our appeals system is designed to make sure that the trial was in accord with constitutional standards, not to second guess whether the defendant was actually innocent. It is very difficult to get evidence of innocence introduced before an appeals court.

Re: Deterrence
The death penalty isn’t a deterrent. Murder rates are actually higher in states with the death penalty than in states without it. Moreover, people who kill or commit other serious crimes do not think they will be caught (if they think at all.)

Re: cost
The death penalty costs far more than life in prison. The huge extra costs start to mount up even before the trial. There are more cost effective ways to prevent and control crime.

Re: Who gets the death penalty
The death penalty isn’t reserved for the “worst of the worst,” but rather for defendants with the worst lawyers. When is the last time a wealthy person was sentenced to death, let alone executed??

Re: Victims families
The death penalty is very hard on victims’ families. They must relive their ordeal in the courts and the media. Life without parole is sure, swift and rarely appealed. Some victims families who support the death penalty in principal prefer life without parole because of how the death penalty affects families like theirs.

Opposing the death penalty doesn’t mean you condone brutal crimes or excuse people who commit them. According to a Gallup Poll, in 2006, 47% of all Americans prefer capital punishment while 48% prefer life without parole. Americans are learning the facts and making up their minds using common sense, not revenge or an eye for an eye mentality.

Answer 4

nicely, honestly sure. the guy who gadgets an intravenous line get entry to follows the so observed as "sterile technique" because the classic prepare. the guy who's meant to obtain deadly injection remains human regardless of his circumstances will be subsequently nevertheless has the right to be traeted as human. as well, the guy who gadgets in an intravenous line does no longer administer the drug jointly. The get entry to is in simple terms set and an extension tubing set that is going in the back of a blind are set up (there are quite some extension tubings absolutely with in effortless words one which is going to the guy so the guy who will administer the deadly dose gained't comprehend he became the only administered the deadly dose. So, absolutely everyone that are in touch alongside the approach are in simple terms following the rule of thumb of career.A swab of alcohol is in simple terms no longer that expensive besides as compared to the quantity of the drug that would accept and it will be in simple terms seconds to swab the alcohol earlier pricking the vein. A medical worker who has been used to the prepare is doing the swabbing immediately away-the picture of a habit as we may be able to say.

Answer 5

It makes it easier to find the vein, and it helps protect the person giving the injection.

Answer 6

I have no idea... I would bet that it has something to do w/ the ACLU and such whackos. Things are getting pretty ridiculous these days!

Answer 7

YES they do do that amazingly ! it is funny tho my hubbies brother is the LT. at san quentin here in cali

Answer 8

why would they worry about an infection if the injection is going to kill them. think logically

Answer 9

it's the ethical proceedure.


the rules.. before injection in any case.. sterilization must be applied.

that's all.