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This is the most common used means of execution in the USA. It is employed in 34 states.
Death by lethal injection involves the continuous intravenous injection of a lethal quantity of three different drugs which are administered one after another in both arms of the prisoner. The first injection causes unconsciousness. The second drug stops respiration and leads to paralysis. And finally the last chemical agent which is injected stops the heart.
During the execution the convict is secured on a gurney and covered with a sheet.
Some think that lethal injection is the most humane form of execution but actually it's proved that the injections can be difficult to administer because most prisoners have scarred veins due to drug use or diabetes so that the veins are often hard to reach and it might be necessary to find a deeper one and this procedure is very painful.
Up to now, 406 inmates have died by lethal injection in the United States.
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