<P> Upon arrival at the Huntsville Unit, the condemned is led through a back gate, submits to a cavity search, then is placed in a holding cell . </P> <P> Before 2011, the condemned was given an opportunity to have a last meal based on what the unit's cafeteria could prepare from its stock . Robert Perkinson, author of Texas Tough: The Rise of America's Prison Empire, said in 2010 that most condemned prisoners ordered "standard American fare in heaping portions, the sorts of meals that recall a childhood Sunday ." Many female prisoners under the death sentence did not take a last meal . However, Lawrence Russel Brewer, a white supremacist gang member convicted for the high - profile hate crime dragging death of James Byrd Jr., ordered a large last meal and did not eat it before his execution . In response, John Whitmire, a member of the Texas legislature, asked the TDCJ to stop special meals . Whitmire stated to the press that Brewer's victim, Mr. Byrd, "didn't get to choose his last meal ." The TDCJ complied . Brian Price, a former prison chef, offered to personally cook and pay for any subsequent special last meal since the TDCJ is not paying for them anymore . However, Whitmire warned in a letter that he would seek formal state legislation when lawmakers next convened if the "last meal" tradition wasn't stopped immediately . Afterwards, the TDCJ stopped serving special last meals, and will only allow execution chamber prisoners to have the same kind of meal served to regular prisoners . Many prisoners requested cigarettes (which were denied as TDCJ has banned smoking in its facilities). </P> <P> Under Texas law, executions are carried out at or after 6 p.m. Huntsville (Central) time "by intravenous injection of a substance or substances in a lethal quantity sufficient to cause death and until such convict is dead". The law does not specify the substance (s) to be used; previously, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice the chemicals used for the lethal injection were the commonly - used three - drug combination of (in order) sodium thiopental (a dose which sedates the offender, but not enough to kill outright), pancuronium bromide (a muscle relaxant which collapses the diaphragm and lungs), and potassium chloride (which stops the heartbeat). The offender is usually pronounced dead approximately seven minutes after start of the injection process; the cost for the three substances is $86.08 per offender . As a result of drug shortages, sodium thiopental was replaced by pentobarbital in 2011 . Further shortages of this drug have pushed the cost of the drugs to approximately $1300 per offender . Still further shortages of pancuronium bromide (and the expiration of the existing stock) forced the state into switching to a single - drug protocol, using solely pentobarbital . </P> <P> The only persons legally allowed to be present (none of whom can be convicts) at the execution are: </P>

What form of death penalty does texas use