The State Department is the primary institution responsible for the execution of diplomacy, although numerous other players, including the Department of Defense, play critical roles.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The sanctions chimera

As of 2002, the average condemned inmate spent 7.3 years on death row before execution, according to state Corrections Department figures.

CNN: Victims' families?cheer sniper death sentence

Mr. KEITH ACREE (State Department of Correction, North Carolina): The execution team administered the sedative and the monitor dropped below the reading of 60, which was the threshold here.

NPR: Brain Waves Monitored During N.C. Lethal Injection