Witness to an Execution

One corrections officer, named Fred Allen, who was part of the tie-down team, talks about his own mental breakdown attributed to taking part in too many executions, 130 by his count.

I was just working in the shop and all of a sudden something just triggered in me and I started shakingà.I just thought about that execution that I did two days agoàand what it was, was something triggered within and àall these executions all of a sudden all sprung forward (Witness to an Execution Transcript.

Warden Jim Willett, who has overseen about 75 executions, remarks that he worries about his staff. He says that he is retiring soon and the executions are something he wonÆt miss. ôThere are times when IÆm standing there, watching those fluids start to flow, and wonder whether what weÆre doing here is right. ItÆs something IÆll be thinking about for the rest of my lifeö (Witness to an Execution Transcript).

These remarks come at the conclusion of the documentary, leaving the listener with a variety of f

. . .
while it is not a direct part of the documentary, it most likely provided background for the producers to work with. Following GlassÆ narrative structure, Warden Willett provides general information including the condemned inmateÆs schedule prior to the executionùhis last meal and so forth. Then, in an informal tone, he informs the listener, "IÆm gonna start our story where the execution process really beginsö (Witness to an Execution Transcript). As principal narrator, Willett provides the timeline that informs the documentary. ôAt five minutes to six, IÆm sitting in my office. I get up from my chair, put on my jacket, and walk back to the death house. At this time the inmate is in his cell, talking with the prisonÆs chaplain, Jim Brazzil.ö Then Brazzil relates some of his previous experiences, followed by Willett saying, ôOne of my supervisors will get a call at 6:00 from the governorÆs officeà.ö (Witness Transcript). And then to BrazzilÆs voice, then back to Willett, and then to Kenneth Dean, a member of the tie-down team that handles the individual straps to tie down the inmate to secure him to the gurney so ôhe wonÆt be jumping up, and he wonÆt be able to squirm out of the restraints themselves, and that the job can be don
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1973
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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