“Secrets of the Killing State” with Corinna Lain
<p>In this powerful episode, Inclusion Catalyst sits down with Professor Corinna Lain, legal scholar and author of the forthcoming book <a href="https://amzn.to/47Zk8f3" rel="nofollow">Secrets of the Killing State</a>, to examine the realities behind lethal injection in the United States. Lain’s work exposes a system shrouded in secrecy, built on medical misconception, and sustained by public misunderstanding.</p>
<p>Corinna Lain’s research confronts the core question: Why are states so bad at lethal injection?What emerges is a disturbing truth: the method widely perceived as humane is structurally designed to hide pain, avoid accountability, and preserve the political palatability of the death penalty.</p>
<p><strong>Key Themes & Insights</strong></p>
<p>Lethal Injection as Hidden Torture</p>
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<p>The standard three-drug protocol uses a paralytic that freezes the face and body, masking the agony inflicted by potassium chloride.</p>
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<p>Autopsies routinely show multiple puncture wounds, evidence of repeated failed IV attempts by unqualified staff.</p>
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<p>Some executions have lasted hours, including the three-hour execution of Joe Nathan James.</p>
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<p>State Secrecy and Systemic Malpractice</p>
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<p>Many executions are carried out by non-medical prison staff, not trained clinicians</p>
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<p>States source drugs from unqualified vendors, including individuals running non-pharmaceutical businesses.</p>
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<p>Protocols are frequently violated:</p>
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<p>Curtains raised too early.</p>
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<p>Media witnesses banned.</p>
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<p>IV insertions hidden from public view.</p>
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<p>Prisoners’ fingers are often taped down to prevent signaling pain.</p>
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<p>The Making of the Book</p>
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<p>Lain felt spiritually called to document these abuses and persisted through a year of publisher rejections.</p>
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<p>A fortuitous meeting led to a contract with NYU Press, which will release the book Easter 2025.</p>
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<p>The manuscript is extensively documented, with 1,000+ endnotes drawn from depositions, investigative journalism, and insider accounts.</p>
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<p>The 80-Day National Book Tour</p>
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<p>Lain traveled 12,000 miles across 23 states, taking unpaid leave to bring public attention to the issue.</p>
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<p>Reception has been overwhelmingly positive — and notably, no state official has challenged her findings.</p>
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<p>Why Lethal Injection Persists</p>
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<p>Lain argues its primary function is aesthetic: to make state killing appear peaceful, preserving public support.</p>
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<p>The book reframes the death penalty debate from “Does the prisoner deserve to die?” to “Does the state deserve the power to kill?”</p>
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<p>Many people on death row undergo profound personal transformation; the state may be, in Lain’s words, “killing its Pauls.”</p>
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<p>This episode is produced in partnership with the <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/georgiainterfaithcenter/" rel="nofollow">Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center</a>.</p>
