Sec. 54-100. Method of inflicting death penalty. Attendance at execution.
Sec. 54-100. Method of inflicting death penalty. Attendance at execution. (a)
The method of inflicting the punishment of death shall be by continuous intravenous
injection of a substance or substances in a quantity sufficient to cause death, in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Commissioner of Correction in consultation
with the Commissioner of Public Health. The Commissioner of Correction shall direct
a warden of an appropriate correctional institution to appoint a suitable person or persons
to perform the duty of executing sentences of the court requiring the infliction of the
death penalty. Such person or persons shall receive, for such duty, such compensation
as is determined by the Commissioner of Correction. When any person is sentenced to
death by any court of this state having competent jurisdiction, he shall, within twenty
days after final sentence, be conveyed to an appropriate correctional institution and such
punishment shall be inflicted only within the walls of said institution, within an enclosure
to be prepared for that purpose under direction of the warden of said institution. Such
enclosure shall be so constructed as to exclude public view.
(b) Besides the warden or deputy warden and such number of correctional staff
as he thinks necessary, the following persons may be present at the execution: The
Commissioner of Correction, a physician, a clergyman in attendance upon the prisoner
and such other adults, as the prisoner may designate, not exceeding three in number,
news media representatives and such other persons as the commissioner deems appropriate. The total number of witnesses permitted at an execution shall be governed by
space and security requirements and the Commissioner of Correction shall make the
final determination of such number. News media representatives present at an execution
shall include representatives of newspapers, broadcasters and news services, who shall
report on behalf of all news media. The number of news media representatives present
at an execution shall be nine, except that the commissioner, in his discretion, may authorize a greater number of such representatives or, for specified reasons of space or security, may reduce such number of representatives. The commissioner may exclude a
witness for specified reasons of security.
(1949 Rev., S. 8816; 1963, P.A. 28, S. 6; P.A. 74-84; P.A. 95-16, S. 1, 5; 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; P.A. 96-180, S. 130,
166; P.A. 97-184, S. 1.)
History: 1963 act provided electrocution be at prison in Somers rather than Wethersfield; P.A. 74-84 allowed attendance
of "adults" designated by prisoner rather than attendance of "persons, adult males" designated by prisoner; P.A. 95-16
changed the method of inflicting the punishment of death from "electrocution" to "continuous intravenous injection of a
substance or substances in a quantity sufficient to cause death, in accordance with procedures prescribed by the Commissioner of Correction in consultation with the Commissioner of Public Health and Addiction Services", replaced the requirement that the warden of the Connecticut Correctional Institution, Somers, appoint a suitable person to perform the execution
and that such person's compensation be determined by the directors of said institution with the requirement that the
Commissioner of Correction direct a warden of an appropriate correctional institution to appoint such a person and that
such person's compensation be determined by said commissioner, required a person sentenced to death to be conveyed to
an appropriate correctional institution rather than to "the Connecticut Correctional Institution, Somers" and that the enclosure be prepared under direction of the warden of said institution rather than the warden and board of directors of the
Connecticut Correctional Institution, Somers, replaced "guards" with "correction officers", replaced as some of the persons
authorized to be in attendance at the execution "the board of directors, the physician of the Connecticut Correctional
Institution, Somers," with "the commissioner, a physician of a correctional institution", effective October 1, 1995, and
applicable to executions carried out on or after said date; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public
Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 96-180
substituted "Commissioner of Correction" for "commissioner", effective June 3, 1996; P.A. 97-184 inserted Subsec.
indicators, amended Subsec. (a) to authorize the appointment of more than one person to perform the execution and amended
Subsec. (b) to revise the list of persons authorized to be present at the execution by replacing "correction officers" with
"correctional staff", replacing "a physician of a correctional institution" with "a physician", deleting the "sheriff of the
county in which the prisoner was tried and convicted", "representatives of not more than five newspapers in the county
where the crime was committed" and "one reporter for each of the daily newspapers published in the city of Hartford" and
adding "news media representatives" and "such other persons as the commissioner deems appropriate", provided that the
total number of witnesses shall be governed by space and security requirements and be finally determined by the commissioner, provide that news media representatives shall include representatives of newspapers, broadcasters and news services
reporting on behalf of all news media, provided that the number of news media representatives shall be nine subject to
increase or reduction by the commissioner and authorize the commissioner to exclude a witness for security reasons.
Cited. 121 C. 197. Death penalty does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment and courts will not vitiate legislative
determination of punishment for crimes. 158 C. 341. Cited. 238 C. 389. P.A. 95-16 cited. Id.