Execution van
Encyclopedia
Execution vans, also referred to as "mobile execution units", were developed by the government of the People's Republic of China
and were first used in 1997. Prisoners are strapped to a stretcher and executed via lethal injection
inside the van. The vans allow for death sentences to be carried out without having to move the prisoner to an execution ground. The vans also require less manpower per execution, requiring only four people to assist with the injection. Although the PRC claims that the vans are more humane than previous forms of execution, human rights
groups predict the execution rate in China will increase because of mobile capital punishment.
officials began using execution vans across China, however it did not become popular until 2006. They state that the vans are cost-effective by allowing communities without the money to build dedicated death rows to kill prisoners without the costs associated with sending a prisoner away for death. Former Chinese judge and current lawyer Qiu Xingsheng argues that "some places can't afford the cost of sending a person to Beijing—perhaps $250—plus $125 more for the drug." As Beijing
is the only place where the injection is manufactured, the vans have allowed localities to administer the death sentence where the crime took place. Estimates place the number of execution vans currently in operation at around 40, although the PRC will not confirm this number.
A converted 24-seat bus, the execution van keeps the appearance of a normal police van on the outside with no markings indicating its purpose. The rear of the vehicle houses a windowless chamber where the execution takes place. Several cameras are present and feed closed-circuit televisions in the front of the van; a recording can be made if desired. The bed itself slides out of the wall under its own power, on which the convicted person is strapped down. A syringe
is put into the arm by a technician and a police official administers the injection by pressing a button. The subject experiences a loss of consciousness and death within 30 to 60 seconds. The drug used is a highly concentrated solution of sodium pentobarbital
(a chemical with which extensive experience has been gained in the euthanasia
of animals, including larger mammals). Central nervous system
depression sets in, ultimately stopping breathing and depriving the heart
and brain
of oxygen (hypoxia
), ending the person's life. This procedure differs significantly from the most common execution method employed in the US
, in which three drugs are used: one to cause rapid unconsciousness (pentothal
), muscle paralysis (pavulon) and death through the heart
muscle being depressed by injection of a potassium chloride
solution. The first execution of a person in the US using sodium pentobarbital occurred on December 16, 2010
.
There is fear also that mobile execution units have made organ harvesting
much easier and more profitable, as lethal injection
does not damage the body. Although the Ministry of Health in March 2006 that banned the sale of organs, many believe that it has had no effect. Activists charge that the bodies are quickly cremated
, which makes it impossible for family members to determine if organs have in fact been removed.
On March 17, 2006, billionaire Yuan Baojing
was executed in a van for the arranged murder of a blackmailer.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and were first used in 1997. Prisoners are strapped to a stretcher and executed via lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
inside the van. The vans allow for death sentences to be carried out without having to move the prisoner to an execution ground. The vans also require less manpower per execution, requiring only four people to assist with the injection. Although the PRC claims that the vans are more humane than previous forms of execution, human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
groups predict the execution rate in China will increase because of mobile capital punishment.
Use
Following the 1997 decision to legalize lethal injections as a form of execution, PRCPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
officials began using execution vans across China, however it did not become popular until 2006. They state that the vans are cost-effective by allowing communities without the money to build dedicated death rows to kill prisoners without the costs associated with sending a prisoner away for death. Former Chinese judge and current lawyer Qiu Xingsheng argues that "some places can't afford the cost of sending a person to Beijing—perhaps $250—plus $125 more for the drug." As Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
is the only place where the injection is manufactured, the vans have allowed localities to administer the death sentence where the crime took place. Estimates place the number of execution vans currently in operation at around 40, although the PRC will not confirm this number.
A converted 24-seat bus, the execution van keeps the appearance of a normal police van on the outside with no markings indicating its purpose. The rear of the vehicle houses a windowless chamber where the execution takes place. Several cameras are present and feed closed-circuit televisions in the front of the van; a recording can be made if desired. The bed itself slides out of the wall under its own power, on which the convicted person is strapped down. A syringe
Syringe
A syringe is a simple pump consisting of a plunger that fits tightly in a tube. The plunger can be pulled and pushed along inside a cylindrical tube , allowing the syringe to take in and expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the open end of the tube...
is put into the arm by a technician and a police official administers the injection by pressing a button. The subject experiences a loss of consciousness and death within 30 to 60 seconds. The drug used is a highly concentrated solution of sodium pentobarbital
Pentobarbital
Pentobarbital is a short-acting barbiturate that was first synthesized in 1928. Pentobarbital is available as both a free acid and a sodium salt, the former of which is only slightly soluble in water and ethanol....
(a chemical with which extensive experience has been gained in the euthanasia
Euthanasia
Euthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
of animals, including larger mammals). Central nervous system
Central nervous system
The central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that integrates the information that it receives from, and coordinates the activity of, all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all multicellular animals except sponges and radially symmetric animals such as jellyfish...
depression sets in, ultimately stopping breathing and depriving the heart
Cardiac muscle
Cardiac muscle is a type of involuntary striated muscle found in the walls and histologic foundation of the heart, specifically the myocardium. Cardiac muscle is one of three major types of muscle, the others being skeletal and smooth muscle...
and brain
Human brain
The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
of oxygen (hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)
Hypoxia, or hypoxiation, is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise...
), ending the person's life. This procedure differs significantly from the most common execution method employed in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in which three drugs are used: one to cause rapid unconsciousness (pentothal
Sodium thiopental
Sodium thiopental, better known as Sodium Pentothal , thiopental, thiopentone sodium, or Trapanal , is a rapid-onset short-acting barbiturate general anaesthetic...
), muscle paralysis (pavulon) and death through the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
muscle being depressed by injection of a potassium chloride
Potassium chloride
The chemical compound potassium chloride is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. In its pure state, it is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance, with a crystal structure that cleaves easily in three directions. Potassium chloride crystals are...
solution. The first execution of a person in the US using sodium pentobarbital occurred on December 16, 2010
John David Duty
John David Duty was an American who was executed in Oklahoma for first-degree murder. According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, he is the first person in the United States to have been put to death with pentobarbital...
.
Controversy
The PRC government claims that this is a more humane form of killing people, being far less painful than firing squad executions. Zhao Shijie, president of the Yunnan Provincial High Court, was quoted as praising the new system: "The use of lethal injection shows that China's death penalty system is becoming more civilized and humane." While the vans have moved China away from previous days of large public executions, human rights activists counter that they are "like government-sanctioned death squads", and allow for an increased number and a higher efficiency of executions.There is fear also that mobile execution units have made organ harvesting
Organ harvesting
Organ harvesting refers to the removal, preservation and use of human organs and tissue from the bodies of the recently deceased to be used in surgical transplants on the living...
much easier and more profitable, as lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
does not damage the body. Although the Ministry of Health in March 2006 that banned the sale of organs, many believe that it has had no effect. Activists charge that the bodies are quickly cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
, which makes it impossible for family members to determine if organs have in fact been removed.
Notable executions
On December 22, 2003, organized crime leader Liu Yong was executed in an execution van in a controversial ruling. Liu was convicted of 32 charges and sentenced to death in 2000, but was granted a reprieve after appealing the case on the grounds that his confession was forced. Liu had been given a retrial by the Supreme Court on December 17. It was the first time the Supreme Court had bypassed China's two trial system in which two trials are permitted and the verdict of the second trial may be appealed by either side.On March 17, 2006, billionaire Yuan Baojing
Yuan Baojing
Yuan Baojing was the president of the Jianhao Group and Beijing's wealthiest multi-millionaire. In March 2006, he and two accomplices were sentenced to death by a Liaoyang court for the October 2003 murder of Wang Xing, a hitman he had hired to kill a rival businessman in Sichuan, who had caused...
was executed in a van for the arranged murder of a blackmailer.
See also
- Capital punishmentCapital punishmentCapital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
- Capital punishment in the People's Republic of ChinaCapital punishment in the People's Republic of ChinaCapital punishment in the People's Republic of China is currently administered for a variety of crimes, but the vast majority of executions are for cases of either aggravated murder or large scale drug trafficking...
- Gas vanGas vanThe gas van or gas wagon was an extermination method devised by Nazi Germany to kill victims of the regime. It was also rumored that analog of such device was used by the Soviet Union on an experimental basis during the Great Purge-Nazi Germany:...