Arizona spent two hours killing death row inmate Joseph Wood this week , an unusually long time for an execution . Wood 's death has reopened the debate about capital punishment and lethal injection . Lethal injection is used in all 32 states that have the death penalty . Some witnesses said Wood was gasping for breath and seemed to be in pain . Others said he was simply snoring . The state of Arizona said Wood did n't suffer . Either way , there are renewed concerns that executions , which are supposed to be quick and painless , are neither . Typically executions are performed using three drugs in stages . The first drug is an anesthetic . The second drug is called a paralytic and the third drug is supposed to stop the heart . For years , executioners used a drug called sodium thiopental as the first drug , the anesthetic , until the only U.S. producer of the drug stopped making it . Then the United States turned to European manufacturers , but they refused to sell the drug for use in executions . Since sodium thiopental was taken off the market for executions , states have turned to a drug called midazolam for the anesthetic . But experts believe there have been problems with the drug in at least three executions . The problems described by witnesses included gasping , snorting or choking sounds and , in one execution , the inmate was described as speaking . Wood was injected with midazolam on Wednesday , as well as hydromorphone , a narcotic painkiller that , with an overdose , halts breathing and stops the heart from beating . It is one of the new combinations that states have tried , with some controversial results . What would qualify as a botched execution ? Michael Radelet , a professor of sociology and law , said an execution is botched when it looks like the inmate endured `` prolonged suffering '' for 20 minutes or more . Whether they 're `` botched '' or not , plenty of executions do n't go by the book . Most of the executions listed here were compiled by Human Rights Watch . Dennis McGuire , executed January 16 , 2014 , in Ohio . Columbus Dispatch reporter Alan Johnson said the execution process took 24 minutes , and that McGuire appeared to be gasping for air for 10 to 13 minutes . He had been injected with midazolam and hydromorphone , a two-drug combination that had n't been used before in the United States . McGuire , 53 , was convicted in 1994 in the rape and murder of a 22-year-old pregnant woman . Clayton Lockett , executed April 29 , 2014 , in Oklahoma . Lockett was injected with midazolam , but instead of becoming unconscious , he twitched , convulsed and spoke . The execution was halted , but Lockett died after 43 minutes . A team that prepared Lockett for execution failed to set a properly functioning IV in his leg , according to preliminary findings of an independent autopsy . Lockett was convicted in the 1999 death of an Oklahoma woman who was buried alive after she was raped and shot . Jose High , executed November 7 , 2001 , in Georgia . This execution illustrates a common problem . The execution team had trouble finding a usable vein and spent 39 minutes looking before finally sticking a needle into High 's hand . A second needle was inserted between his neck and shoulder by a physician . Sixty-nine minutes after the execution began , he was pronounced dead . High was convicted in a 1976 store robbery and the kidnapping and murder of an 11-year-old boy . Claude Jones , executed December 7 , 2000 , in Texas . The execution team spent 30 minutes looking for a suitable vein , a difficult task because of Jones ' history of drug abuse . He was convicted in the 1990 murder of a liquor store owner . Joseph Cannon , executed April 23 , 1998 , in Texas . The needle popped out and Cannon said to witnesses , `` It 's come undone . '' The needle was reinserted and 15 minutes later a weeping Cannon made his second final statement . He was convicted of murder . John Wayne Gacy , executed May 10 , 1994 , in Illinois . Lethal chemicals solidified and clogged in the IV tube leading to Gacy 's arm . A new tube was installed and the execution proceeded . Gacy , one of America 's most notorious killers , was convicted in 1980 of raping and killing 33 boys and young men he lured into his home . Charles Walker , executed September 12 , 1990 , in Illinois . The execution was prolonged because a kink in the plastic tubing stopped the flow of chemicals into Walker 's body and an intravenous needle pointed at Walker 's fingers , instead of his heart , said a Missouri State Prison engineer hired to assist in the execution . Walker was convicted of two counts of murder . Raymond Landry , executed December 13 , 1988 , in Texas . The catheter dislodged and flew through the air two minutes after injection of drugs into Landry 's body . The execution team spent 14 minutes inserting it again and Landry was pronounced dead 40 minutes after being strapped to the gurney . He had been convicted of murder .
Prolonged death of Arizona governor sparks a debate about capital punishment . Today 's definition of a bad execution : ` ` Prolonged suffering '' for 20 minutes or more . Lethal chemicals clogged tube leading to John Wayne Gacy 's arm . Sometimes execution teams have difficulty finding a suitable location .