Condemned men seek appeals even after decades behind bars

WASHINGTON (AP) — Last-ditch court appeals could block the executions of two Arkansas inmates who are scheduled to be put to death Monday after spending more than two decades behind bars.

What's left to appeal after so many years? A look at some issues that can stop a lethal injection at the last minute.

Courts have blocked four lethal injections, including at least one that was called off only hours before the inmate was to enter the death chamber.

Lawyers for the men who are scheduled to die Monday have filed legal challenges based on the inmates' health, saying their poor physical condition could interfere with the lethal injection and subject them to extraordinary pain.

Inmates can spend decades appealing their convictions and death sentences in state and federal courts.

The average time between sentencing and execution for prisoners executed in 2013 topped 15 years, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.

By the time an execution takes place or is stopped, four or more different courts are supposed to have examined the entire case, including the trial record, outstanding legal issues, assertions of innocence and claims of constitutional violations or newly discovered evidence.

The Supreme Court has the final say on almost every execution, but the justices reject all but a few emergency appeals by inmates.