For condemned prisoners in Texas, the final 14 days unfold under a rigidly scripted routine that culminates in the death chamber.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice claims that its execution procedures, as outlined in a September 2023 directive, provide a structured framework for the two weeks leading up to a scheduled execution.

These procedures begin with official notification of the execution date and continue through medical checks, visitation rules, spiritual advisor approvals, and ultimately the administration of a lethal dose of pentobarbital.

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The countdown formally starts when the inmate is given notice of the execution date and a set of forms that govern spiritual advisor requests, witness lists, property disposition, and final financial instructions, according to a policy obtained by The Dallas Express through a Texas Public Information Act Request. From that moment, each day is monitored, logged, and controlled until the execution is carried out in Huntsville.

Day 14: Notification and Paperwork

  • Prisoner receives official execution date and Notification of Execution form.
  • Any keep-on-person medication is confiscated and administered only by medical staff.
  • Inmate has 30 days to formally request a spiritual advisor in the chamber.
  • Spiritual advisor must pass background checks and orientation.

Day 13 to Day 8: Preparation Period

  • Execution packet compiled, including witness list, property documents, and commissary records.
  • Death Row Supervisor interviews inmate to complete Execution Summary.
  • Requests to change witnesses after Day 14 require special approval.
  • Inmate may request body donation for medical research.

Day 7: Beginning of Execution Watch

  • Execution Watch Log begins at 6 a.m., recording inmate’s activities every 30 minutes.
  • Watch intensifies to every 15 minutes in the final 36 hours.
  • All changes or updates to execution documents sent to Huntsville.

Day 6 to Day 2: Final Monitoring

  • Prisoner remains under constant observation.
  • All activity, meals, and interactions logged.
  • Transportation plans to Huntsville kept secret and known only to select wardens and the CID director.

Day 1: Property, Money, and Final Visits

  • Personal property inventoried and inmate signs trust fund withdrawal form to distribute remaining money.
  • Morning visits allowed with individuals on the approved visitation list.
  • Special visits from attorneys or spiritual advisors may be approved.
  • Male inmates usually remain at Polunsky Unit until transport begins; female inmates may be moved earlier.

Execution Day: The Last Hours

  • Pre-Execution Confirmation
    After 6 p.m. Central Time, state officials confirm with the Office of the Attorney General and the Governor’s Office that there are no further stays of execution. Only after this confirmation does the Texas Department of Criminal Justice director or designee give the order for the inmate to be escorted into the execution chamber.
  • Escort and Restraint
    The inmate is escorted from the holding cell into the chamber by security staff and secured to a padded gurney with restraints. According to the policy, the inmate’s restraints are removed only after he or she is on the gurney and ready for IV insertion.
  • IV Line Insertion
    A medically trained member of the drug team inserts two intravenous catheters — one as the primary line and one as a precaution — into suitable veins. If a vein cannot be found in the arms, another part of the body may be used, but the policy explicitly forbids “cut-down” surgical procedures to access veins. Normal saline begins flowing slowly to ensure the lines are functioning.
  • Presence of Spiritual Advisor and Witnesses
    If previously approved, a Texas Department of Criminal Justice chaplain or the inmate’s spiritual advisor is escorted into the chamber to stand beside the gurney. Witnesses also enter the room.
  • Final Statement
    Before the lethal dose is administered, the inmate is allowed to make a brief last statement. This is usually delivered aloud in the chamber, while witnesses listen from behind glass. The last person executed in Texas was Blaine Milam on September 25, 2025. His last words were recorded as, “if any of you would like to see me again, I implore all of you no matter who you are to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and we will meet again. I love you all, bring me home Jesus.”
  • Administration of the Drug
    After the statement, the Huntsville Unit warden instructs the drug team to begin the execution. A prepared syringe of 100 milliliters of solution containing five grams of pentobarbital is injected through the IV line, replacing the saline. The policy states a backup set of the drug and saline is on hand in case of complications. The line is flushed with saline after the injection to ensure the full dose enters the bloodstream.
  • Monitoring for Signs of Life
    The director, warden, and medically trained individual observe the inmate’s physical appearance as the pentobarbital takes effect. If, after a sufficient time, the inmate shows visible signs of life, the drug team is instructed to administer an additional five grams of pentobarbital followed by another saline flush.
  • Pronouncement of Death
    Once death is believed to have occurred, the Huntsville Unit warden directs a physician to enter the chamber, examine the inmate, and officially pronounce death. The time of death is then recorded.
  • Aftermath
    The spiritual advisor is escorted out of the chamber immediately after the pronouncement. Witnesses are escorted out of the viewing areas. The inmate’s body is removed and transported by a coordinating funeral home. If the inmate arranged for body donation, those arrangements are implemented at this stage.

 

The next scheduled execution in Texas is for Robert Robertson. He is currently sentenced to die on October 16, 2025.

Roberson was convicted of murder in 2002 after being accused of shaking his two-year-old daughter, Nikki Curtis. Supporters of Robertson have opposed his execution, saying that any alleged shaking did not lead to death. “Nikki died of the consequences of pneumonia — cardiac arrest — and she was basically brain-dead in a living body,” Dr. Roland Auer, a Canadian neurosurgeon, told the Texas Legislature last fall, The Dallas Express reported.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office has continued to stand by the conviction, as noted in an October 2024 press release from Ken Paxton:

“Despite these eleventh-hour, one-sided, extrajudicial stunts that attempt to obscure the facts and rewrite his past, the truth remains: [bullet ommitted] Robert Roberson murdered two-year-old Nikki by beating her so brutally that she ultimately died.”