When a prisoner is executed by lethal injection, do they sterilize the needle?

Question

What's the point?

Answer 1

Needles only come sterile and packaged.

Answer 2

Of course they do, and accidents happen, in the case of an accidental stick the execution would be exposing himself to potentially life threatening disease.

As a side note it take a couple hundred thousand dollars to execute a person, a few million if you consider the court costs and appeals process.   I think they can spare the expense of a 25 cent needle.

Answer 3

Kinda pointless.

Answer 4

Yes. It's a requirement.  

Answer 5

Now that is a dumb question of course they do.

Answer 6

It does seem kind of pointless.

Answer 7

Even though it is absolutely pointless, they must sterilize the needle . It would be inhumane if they did not , and even though the chances are a gazillion to one , should the person live through the injection , we certainly do not want him dieing from blood poison or infection .

Answer 8

Needles are new and sterile in executions in every U.S. state.

There are a lot of reasons, but if nothing else it protects the individual administering the injection.

When a prisoner is executed in this manner they are strapped to a table. A doctor finds a vein (what I've seen has been in the arm), and then hooks it up to something like an IV. There is one needle that stays in, they don't give them a shot. A machine then automatically administers the injections.

Another reason that the needle should be sterile is to avoid complications altering the effectiveness of the chemicals.

Answer 9

Of course.  It would be inhumane not to.

Answer 10

This is why the Government should bring back Hanging. You don't have to sterilize a rope!

On a side note: If our Tax Dollars are being used to snuff out these Animals 25 years too late, shouldn't it be shown on PBS?

Answer 11

Yes.  Why not?  Hypodermic needles are routinely sterile.

Answer 12

In recent years new needles are used by all medical personnel each time not matter what they are doing.  So a new and sterile needle was used.

Answer 13

Yes, they sterilize it with the blood of his murder victim.