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More in Punishment

Two death chairs in old Central Prison, Raleigh, NC, death chamber, no date (possibly 1950-60s). Courtesy of Keith Acree. From the General Negative Collection, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.

The Executioner’s Last Meal

Death row prisoners rarely get last meals, writes Lyle May, who is on death row in North Carolina. But on the night of an execution, the prison staff break room is full of cookies and cake.