In this powerful episode, Inclusion Catalyst sits down with Professor Corinna Lain, legal scholar and author of the forthcoming book Secrets of the Killing State, 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.

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.

Key Themes & Insights

Lethal Injection as Hidden Torture

The standard three-drug protocol uses a paralytic that freezes the face and body, masking the agony inflicted by potassium chloride.
Autopsies routinely show multiple puncture wounds, evidence of repeated failed IV attempts by unqualified staff.
Some executions have lasted hours, including the three-hour execution of Joe Nathan James.

State Secrecy and Systemic Malpractice

Many executions are carried out by non-medical prison staff, not trained clinicians
States source drugs from unqualified vendors, including individuals running non-pharmaceutical businesses.
Protocols are frequently violated:
Curtains raised too early.
Media witnesses banned.
IV insertions hidden from public view.
Prisoners’ fingers are often taped down to prevent signaling pain.

The Making of the Book

Lain felt spiritually called to document these abuses and persisted through a year of publisher rejections.
A fortuitous meeting led to a contract with NYU Press, which will release the book Easter 2025.
The manuscript is extensively documented, with 1,000+ endnotes drawn from depositions, investigative journalism, and insider accounts.

The 80-Day National Book Tour

Lain traveled 12,000 miles across 23 states, taking unpaid leave to bring public attention to the issue.
Reception has been overwhelmingly positive — and notably, no state official has challenged her findings.

Why Lethal Injection Persists

Lain argues its primary function is aesthetic: to make state killing appear peaceful, preserving public support.
The book reframes the death penalty debate from “Does the prisoner deserve to die?” to “Does the state deserve the power to kill?”
Many people on death row undergo profound personal transformation; the state may be, in Lain’s words, “killing its Pauls.”

This episode is produced in partnership with the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center.

“Secrets of the Killing State” with Corinna Lain