DFU SONG: Christmas 2005 - Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (Tookie got run over by a gurney)

Tookie got run over by a gurney...that had come to take him for his shot
It looks like he may have a concussion...outside the prison Snoop Dog's really hot

Tookie co-founded the Crips gang...many cities they've destroyed
He's nominated for a Peace Prize...but this year he won't be opening his toys

They say he writes books for children...death would be a tragic loss
When I saw that in the paper...the whole lunch I just had eaten I had tossed

Tookie got run over by a gurney...that had come to take him for his shot
It looks like he may have a concussion...outside the prison Snoop Dog's really hot

He has fans who threaten riots...they'll cause trouble everywhere
If your town suddenly is burning...chances are that Maxine Waters will be there

For the Texas and SC game...he has tickets...oh, how sad
He won't be there to attend it...they're for sale on a brand new e-Bay ad

Tookie got run over by a gurney...that had come to take him for his shot
It looks like he may have a concussion...outside the prison Snoop Dog's really hot

He will miss out on the eggnog...chestnuts roasting on the fire
And in his death cell he's been screaming...he is claiming that George Bush has been a liar

Children, here is Tookie's lesson...if you murder, you must know
That someday they're gonna catch you...and inside your veins the chemicals will flow

Tookie got run over by a gurney...that had come to take him for his shot
It looks like he may have a concussion...outside the prison Snoop Dog's really hot

Protocol of an Execution!
Editors note:

State prison officials have declined to discuss their execution procedures, detailed by british filmmaker Stephen Trombley in his 1992 book titled "The Execution Protocol." Based on that book and other globe research here's an insight into the protocol. Written by Jim Suhr, Globe Staff Writer

Since 1989, 11 inmates in Missouri have been put todeath by lethal injection. In October, Alan Bannister figures to become the 12th.

Condemned in 1983 for the shooting death of a man near Joplin. Bannister is grim about his prospects of dodging the so-called Missouri Protocol, the process by which he might be executed.

In Missouri, death warrants often are issued 10 days before a scheduled execution. Protocol says the condemned person be taken to the deathwatch or holding cell 48 hrs before execution, barring factors requiring immediate isolation. The 48 hrs is the minimum time a condemned man would spend on deathwatch.

During deathwatch, an officer supervises the condemned person 24 hours a day, logging all visitors and events. In Missouri deathwatch inmates have free soft drinks, snacks and cigarettes. Most inmates spend their last hours viewing videotapes. They also may make collect telephone calls with prior approval of the operations officer, who logs calls.

Deathwatch inmates may have visitors from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. On the execution night, visiting hours end at 6 p.m. Two visitors are allowed at any time with the inmate. Who may receive visits from up to two clergymen.

At least 48 hours before the execution, the prison doctor is notified. The inmate is given a physical examination 24 hours before being executed.

Then the countdown begins:

6pm - Six hours before the usual execution time of 12:01 a.m. the superintendent briefs all prison workers. Media contact with the prison is suspended.

6:15pm - Prison workers man their posts.

7pm - The execution room's telephones are checked. Clocks are synchronzed with one in the media room.

7:30pm - The inmate is given clean clothing and offered a sedative. A certified operator verifies the readiness of the lethal-injection machine, which will administer to the inmate separate, lethal doses of three chemicals.

First drug - Sodium Pentathol (causes unconsciousness) Ultra short acting barbituate. Medical uses: Used as anesthesia in lower levels with other drugs. Works on areas of the brain dealing with consciousness.

second drug - Pancuronium Bromide (causes paralysis) Blocks ability of nerves to contract voluntary muscles (face, hands, and lungs). The heart, an involuntary muscle is not affected. Medical uses: muscle relaxant during surgery.

Third drug - Potassium Chloride (stops the heart) Chloride is vehicle for potassium, which affects electrical impulses conducted through heart muscles. Lethal dose shuts down electrical activity, causing cardiac arrest. Medical uses: Potassium is necessary at sub lethal levels for proper cell function. It is one of the most abundant substances in cells.

8:30pm - The death chamber's gurney is prepared.

10pm - During the previous 90 minutes, telephones and clocks have been rechecked, as has execution machine. The exectuion team meets in the death chamber, and the drugs are loaded. For security, six key members of the exectuion team wear highest priority badges. Other staff wear badges identifying them for duty at various security levels in the prison and its perimeter.

10:30pm - The chaplain goes to the holding cell. An ambulance and hearse arrive. Telephone are manned. State witnesses report to the employees' entrance. Missouri law requires a minimum of 12 state witnesses, six of whom often are reporters.

10:45pm - State witnesses report to the hearing room.

11pm - The state Division of Adult Instructions director goes to the hearing room. The deputy director monitors an open telephone line to the attorney general.

11:10pm - Telephone lines are tested.

11:15pm - The doctor tests the electocardiogram equipment.

11:20pm - The department director monitors all telephone lines, carrying a portable radio as a backup. Clocks are rechecked.

11:30pm - The director calls a govenor's representative to check if there is any stay. An assistant superintendent ensures that only authorized personnel are in the execution area.

11:35pm - The inmate is strapped to the gurney. The EKG is attached. The intravenous line set. A catheter and anal plug are inserted into the inmate, his arms strapped to his side, is covered from the neck down with a sheet.

11:40pm - Telephones are manned with the arrival of up to five witnesses tabbed by the inmate. Each witness is subject to a separate security procedure and is separated from state witnesses.

12pm - The department director calls the superintendent to ask if there is a stay of execution. If not, the superintendent proceeds. The exectuion chamber's blinds are opened to the witnesses.

12:01pm - The superintendent reads the death warrant. The execution begins with the first intravenous dose of three chemicals.

Each event is timed and logged by an officer in the chamber. The doctor monitors the EKG and signals to the officer when the inmates's heart stops.

CALIFORNIA EXECUTION PROCEDURES

LETHAL INJECTION

When Execution Order Is Received

As soon as the execution order is received, the condemned inmate is moved into a special security area of the prison. Based on hourly checks, staff document his/her behavior and bring anything unusual to the warden’s attention.

The inmate receives priority visiting privileges; no visitors are turned away without authorization of the warden. Every effort is made to accommodate visits by the inmate’s attorney including weekend or holiday visits if necessary.

Pre-Execution Reports

Two reports are prepared within three weeks of the established execution date. The first is 20 days before execution; the second is seven days before execution. Each report includes:

• Psychiatric report - Results and interpretation of examinations, interviews and history of the inmate by three psychiatrists which will be used to determine the inmate’s sanity.

• Chaplain report - Comments on the inmate’s spiritual and emotional well-being.

• Summary of behavior - Observations noted by case worker and custody staff.

• Cover letter from warden - Includes firsthand information from interviews, observations or communication with the inmate and his/her family or friends.

The seven day pre-execution report discusses any changes that have occurred since the first report.

Sanity Review Requests

Within 30 to seven days before the execution, the inmate’s attorney may submit current psychiatric information that may have a bearing on the sanity of the condemned inmate. This information will be provided to the panel of psychiatrists to consider in completion of the pre-execution psychiatric reports.

Last 24 Hours

During the day before the execution, the warden will make special arrangements for visits by approved family members, spiritual advisors, and friends.

About 6 p.m. the day before the execution, the inmate will be moved to the death watch cell which is adjacent to the execution chamber. From then on, a three-member staff unit will provide a constant death watch.

Soon after he is rehoused, the inmate will be served his last dinner meal. The prison makes every effort to provide the meal requested by the inmate.

Between 7 and 10 p.m., the inmate may be visited by the assigned state chaplain and the warden. The inmate may read, watch television, or play the radio. He can request special food items and coffee or soft drinks.

The family, spiritual advisors and friends the inmate has selected as witnesses may arrive up to two hours before the scheduled execution.

About 30 minutes before the scheduled execution, the inmate is given a new pair of denim trousers and blue work shirt to wear. He is escorted into the execution chamber a few minutes before the appointed time and is strapped onto a table. [The chairs previously used for lethal gas executions have been removed.]

The inmate is connected to a cardiac monitor which is connected to a printer outside the execution chamber. An IV is started in two usable veins and a flow of normal saline solution is administered at a slow rate. [One line is held in reserve in case of a blockage or malfunction in the other.] The door is closed. The warden issues the execution order.

The Execution

In advance of the execution, syringes containing the following are prepared:

• 5.0 grams of sodium pentothal in 20-25 cc of diluent

• 50 cc of pancuronium bromide

• 50 cc of potassium chloride

Each chemical is lethal in the amounts administered.

At the warden’s signal, sodium pentothal is administered, then the line is flushed with sterile normal saline solution. This is followed by pancuronium bromide, a saline flush, and finally, potassium chloride. As required by the California Penal Code, a physician is present to declare when death occurs.

After all witnesses have left, the body is removed with dignity and care. Typically, the family claims the body. If not, the State makes the arrangements.

Chamber Description

The California execution chamber is a self-contained unit at San Quentin State Prison which includes:

• Witness area—Entered via a door to the outside, the witness area has a view of the chamber through five windows.

• Execution chamber—An octagonal vacuum chamber, approximately 7-1/2 feet in diameter. It is entered through a large oval door at the rear of the chamber.

• Anteroom—Contains three telephones. One is kept open for use by the Governor; the other is for use by the State Supreme Court and Attorney General’s Office; the third is connected to the Warden's office. The lethal injections are administered from the anteroom. The area also includes the valves and immersion lever used for executions by lethal gas.

• Chemical room—Includes storage cabinets and a work bench, plus the chemical mixing pots, pipes and valves used for executions by lethal gas.

• Two holding cells—Each contains a toilet and room for a mattress.

• Kitchen/officers’ area—Includes a sink, cabinet, counter area and resting area for staff.

Witnesses

Up to 50 individuals may witness an execution. The following are specified in the Penal Code:

Warden* 1
Attorney General 1
Reputable citizens 12
Physicians* 2
Inmate family/friends 5 (if requested)
Inmate spiritual advisor 2 (if requested)

State procedures also allow for:

News media representatives 17
State-selected witnesses 9
Staff escorts 4

*The warden and physicians are in the anteroom of the chamber and are not included in the total number of witnesses.

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