Lethal injection recommendations

Lethal injection recommendations

The 11-member lethal injection commission made more than a dozen recommendations, including:

• Delay the execution after a sedative is administered to make sure the inmate is unconscious before proceeding with the final two drugs in the process.
• Clearly establish the Florida State Prison warden as the ultimate decision-maker in executions and make sure the warden can communicate with execution team members.
• Require a Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent to document what happens in the administration of lethal drugs. Add a second agent to monitor the inmate from the witness room.
• Label lethal chemicals and eliminate confusion in the labeling of IV lines and syringes.
• Medically examine the inmate one week before the execution and determine the best method to achieve IV access.
• Don't move the inmate after IV access is achieved and take other steps to make sure IV access is maintained throughout the entire execution.
• Establish closed-circuit monitoring for the execution team members to be able to see the inmate's face and IV access points.
• Improve training, including holding periodic training exercises for all execution team members in which they practice possible contingencies.
• Consider limiting appointment of execution team members who are responsible for the routine care of the condemned inmate. Outline the duties of every person in the execution room and limit the number of people in the room.
• Make sure someone who speaks the inmate's primary language is present in the execution chamber.