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U.N. says greenhouse gases reach record high in 2008
Strickland to veto casino rule if local control not protected
Akron Children's Hospital CEO, wife announce $1 million gift to support research
Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo
Mauer near-unanimous pick for American League MVP
Man pleads not guilty in ESPN reporter videos case
Mom says son in coma heard everything for 23 years
2 men shot during party in Fairlawn
Burglars going to the dogs; reports from Akron police - Nov. 23
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Akron man killed in crash on his street
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Browns find another way to lose
After 30 years at the helm of Akron Children's, Considine still looks to future
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Akron Circle K store robbed for second time this month
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Kangaroo tries to drown dog, attacks owner
Browns lose game they never should have lost
City, county may ban bias based on sexual orientation
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Sunday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
Akron Zips:
No. 1 Akron to play Stanford next
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Post-game defensive quotes
Kent State Sports:
Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Onion, By Any Other Name…
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (70) Savings in Medicare Advantage
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Monique asks how to get tickets for the Polar Express.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – You are All Wrong About Jobs, or the Lack of Jobs, Being the Reason People Do Not Live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
By Associated Press
POSTED: 02:10 p.m. EST, Dec 28, 2007
ELYRIA: The team that executes Ohio's death row inmates prepares for each lethal injection for a month, using an artificial arm that they inject with water, according to state documents.
Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge on Thursday unsealed the 632-page binder of documents on how the state executes death row inmates, revealing everything from the qualifications of execution team members to how the warden signals for the lethal injection drugs to be administered.
The state turned over the binder to Burge two weeks ago and he will on Jan. 8 consider whether lethal injection is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.
The team members practice once a week for four weeks, including practice on handling inmates who physically resist.
In one document dealing with the 2006 execution of Darrell Ferguson -- a ''volunteer'' who chose not to appeal his sentence beyond legal requirements -- the team planned for how to deal with a scenario if Ferguson changed his mind after the first drug, a sedative, had begun to put him to sleep and what they would do to save his life.
The documents, originally sealed by Burge at the request of the state, were released following a public records request from The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram and a letter from the newspaper's attorney. Burge ordered county Prosecutor Dennis Will to redact the names of execution team members in the copy given to the newspaper.
The state has been reluctant to say anything about who serves on the 16-member execution team and, particularly, the medical training received by the three members who prepare an inmate's veins and inject the drugs.
The documents show that at least one medical team member is certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists' Board of Registry. That organization handles certifications for numerous jobs in pathology and laboratory work, including hematologists, phlebotomists and those who work in blood banks, according to the society's Web site.
Under Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction guidelines, medical team members are drawn from around the state and must be able, under Ohio law, to administer the intravenous drugs used in the lethal injection process.
Before they join the execution team, any would-be member must pass a rigorous screening process that includes a review of their record with the prison system, gain the approval of the warden and other prison officials and be confirmed by a vote of the current execution team members, according to the documents.
Kreig Brusnahan said he still questions who's handling the injections given that no doctors participate in the process, except for the Scioto County coroner, who is there only to pronounce the condemned inmate dead.
''We need to do a little further investigation on the qualifications of individuals who are involved in the lethal injection process,'' Brusnahan said. ''We absolutely have concerns about the individuals who are participating in this process.''
Brusnahan represents Ruben Rivera, who is challenging the procedure along with and Ronald McCloud, saying the drugs don't give the quick and painless deaths required by Ohio law. Each could receive death sentences if convicted in two separate Lorain County murders.
The team members -- three of whom have participated in all 26 executions since Ohio resumed executing death row inmates in 1999 -- undergo training at least four times a year, according to the documents.
In addition to regular and pre-execution training, medical personnel on the execution team must keep their certifications on injecting intravenous drugs current. The documents turned over by the state reveal several booklets on administering drugs, including finding suitable veins, and how to handle the equipment used in the process.
Some of the manuals in the documents are written by and for nurses, including one which advises any nurse who can't fix a blocked IV line themselves to ''call your surgeon and beg forgiveness.''
The injection of the drugs begins after the warden of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility buttons his jacket as he stands over the condemned inmate strapped to the execution table, the documents say.
ELYRIA: The team that executes Ohio's death row inmates prepares for each lethal injection for a month, using an artificial arm that they inject with water, according to state documents.
Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge on Thursday unsealed the 632-page binder of documents on how the state executes death row inmates, revealing everything from the qualifications of execution team members to how the warden signals for the lethal injection drugs to be administered.
The state turned over the binder to Burge two weeks ago and he will on Jan. 8 consider whether lethal injection is unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.
The team members practice once a week for four weeks, including practice on handling inmates who physically resist.
In one document dealing with the 2006 execution of Darrell Ferguson -- a ''volunteer'' who chose not to appeal his sentence beyond legal requirements -- the team planned for how to deal with a scenario if Ferguson changed his mind after the first drug, a sedative, had begun to put him to sleep and what they would do to save his life.
The documents, originally sealed by Burge at the request of the state, were released following a public records request from The (Elyria) Chronicle-Telegram and a letter from the newspaper's attorney. Burge ordered county Prosecutor Dennis Will to redact the names of execution team members in the copy given to the newspaper.
The state has been reluctant to say anything about who serves on the 16-member execution team and, particularly, the medical training received by the three members who prepare an inmate's veins and inject the drugs.
The documents show that at least one medical team member is certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists' Board of Registry. That organization handles certifications for numerous jobs in pathology and laboratory work, including hematologists, phlebotomists and those who work in blood banks, according to the society's Web site.
Under Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction guidelines, medical team members are drawn from around the state and must be able, under Ohio law, to administer the intravenous drugs used in the lethal injection process.
Before they join the execution team, any would-be member must pass a rigorous screening process that includes a review of their record with the prison system, gain the approval of the warden and other prison officials and be confirmed by a vote of the current execution team members, according to the documents.
Kreig Brusnahan said he still questions who's handling the injections given that no doctors participate in the process, except for the Scioto County coroner, who is there only to pronounce the condemned inmate dead.
''We need to do a little further investigation on the qualifications of individuals who are involved in the lethal injection process,'' Brusnahan said. ''We absolutely have concerns about the individuals who are participating in this process.''
Brusnahan represents Ruben Rivera, who is challenging the procedure along with and Ronald McCloud, saying the drugs don't give the quick and painless deaths required by Ohio law. Each could receive death sentences if convicted in two separate Lorain County murders.
The team members -- three of whom have participated in all 26 executions since Ohio resumed executing death row inmates in 1999 -- undergo training at least four times a year, according to the documents.
In addition to regular and pre-execution training, medical personnel on the execution team must keep their certifications on injecting intravenous drugs current. The documents turned over by the state reveal several booklets on administering drugs, including finding suitable veins, and how to handle the equipment used in the process.
Some of the manuals in the documents are written by and for nurses, including one which advises any nurse who can't fix a blocked IV line themselves to ''call your surgeon and beg forgiveness.''
The injection of the drugs begins after the warden of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility buttons his jacket as he stands over the condemned inmate strapped to the execution table, the documents say.
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