My views on Execution, and that Lethal Injection should be the only legal method. |
Many think that execution and the death penalty are immoral; that no human should take another's life under any circumstances. Personally, I don't have a problem with the death penalty, but I do have a problem with some of the methods of execution. Lethal injection, to me, seems to be the most humane form of execution used in the US today, but apparently not everyone thinks that way. In multiple states, Lethal injection is on its way to being banned as a form of execution. Lethal injection is temporarily suspended in California, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, and Missouri. (Peterson, Kavan) While yes, a person being lethally injected does go through some things that may be classified as torture, when it is compared to the other forms of execution, and what those people go through, lethal injection is undoubtedly the most humane way of execution. In the US, there are 5 legal methods of execution: lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, and firing squad. (Methods of Execution) Lethal injection is still the most used form of execution in the US, including its use by the military and government. The second most common form is electrocution, which is Nebraska's only legal method of execution. (Methods of Execution) 5 states allow the gas chamber as an alternative to lethal injection, New Hampshire and Washington allow hanging as an alternative, and Idaho and Utah still allow a firing squad as an alternative to injection. (Methods of Execution) It surprises me that a firing squad, while a very uncommon form of execution (only 2 executions have been performed using this method since 1976)(Methods of Execution), is still a method of execution that is legal today. During this method, five shooters will line up in front of the inmate, who is surrounded by sandbags, placed to soak up blood. The shooters will all fire, aiming at the inmate's heart. Worst of all, "if the shooters miss the heart, by accident or intention, the prisoner bleeds to death slowly." (Descriptions of Execution Methods) Hanging, along with the firing squad, seems like a very old fashion way to execute a person, at least to me, but it is still a legal form, but is also as uncommon as the firing squad too. Before a person is hung, the prisoner's hands and legs are tied together tightly, they are blindfolded, and the noose is placed loosely around the prisoner's neck. A trap door is dropped, and the prisoner falls, tightening the noose until it grabs a hold of their neck and doesn't let go. If the drop is successful, the prisoner's weight quickly fractures and dislocates the prisoner's neck, but death rarely occurs right away. If something about the drop goes wrong, anywhere from the prisoner is too light to fall hard enough to fracture the neck to the drop being too short, "the fracture-dislocation is not rapid and death results from slow asphyxiation. If this occurs the face becomes engorged, the tongue protrudes, the eyes pop, the body defecates, and violent movements of the limbs occur." (Descriptions of Execution Methods) While this is still a fairly uncommon method of execution, the gas chamber is legal in Arizona, California, Maryland, Missouri, and Wyoming. (Methods of Execution) When executed by the gas chamber, the prisoner is strapped into a chair in an air-tight chamber, and, when the executioner is given the signal to flick the switch, a poisonous hydrogen cyanide gas fills the chamber. The prisoner doesn't lose consciousness for a few minutes. Until then, severe pain is felt by the inmate. When Caryl Chessman was given this execution, he was told to nod when he was experiencing severe pain, and it was noted that he was noding for several minutes before he died. The inmate may also feel extreme anxiety, and combined with the pain, is a similar feeling to having a heart attack. (Descriptions of Execution Methods) Electrocution is not a rare form of execution. It is no where near as common as lethal injection, but more than 150 people have been executed that way since 1976. (Methods of Execution) In order to execute a person this way, the inmate's head is generally shaved, then they're strapped to the chair by belts across all their limbs and torso. A skull shaped electrode sits on the inmate's head, above a wet sponge also placed on the head. The prisoner is eventually shocked with 500 to 2000 volts for about 30 seconds. If the inmate is still alive after the jolt, the process will be repeated. Violent movement of the limbs can occur, along with possible defecation, and a burning smell emits from the inmate. It has also been noted that eyeballs can pop out and rest on the inmate's cheeks, they may vomit blood, the flesh may swell and tare, and the prisoner can sometimes catch on fire. (Descriptions of Execution Methods) Compared to these methods, lethal injection seems like a slap on the wrist. The inmate doesn't suffer as much during the process of lethal injection. The only suffering basically is the thought that they are about to die. The prisoner is strapped down to a gurney, and a needle is inserted into a vein, usually in the arm, and is injected with a chemical to put the inmate to sleep. Next is a chemical that paralyzes all the inmate's muscles and breathing, and finally a chemical that stops the inmate's heart. Sometimes the procedure may be done by an uncertified technician, and they may miss the veins and inject into a muscle, which cause severe pain, but that could easily be avoided by making sure that the technician injecting the chemicals is certified to do so. (Descriptions of Execution Methods) When given all the other options, who would actually begin to think that lethal injection is an unconstitutional method of execution? Yes, the inmate experiences some suffering during a lethal injection, but it will be a near impossible quest to find a method that doesn't cause some kind of pain or suffering for the inmate. The method will have to kill them, and to kill them some kind of damage must be done to the inmate's body. When the damage is done, pain will be felt. It is inevitable. Instead of trying to get rid of lethal injection, why not try to ban the other four methods? They are obviously much worse than lethal injection. Whether you agree with the death penalty or not, you'd have to be blind to miss that. Work Cited Bansal, Monisha. "Supreme Court to Hear Lethal Injection Case." www.cnsnews.com. 4 Oct 2007. Cyber News Service. 23 Oct 2007 <http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp? Page=/Culture/archive/200710/CUL20071004a.html>. "Descriptions of Execution Methods." www.deathpenaltyinfo.org. 2007. Death Penalty Information Center. 23 Oct 2007 <http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=8 &did=479>. Lohr, Kathy. "States Still Planning Lethal Injection." www.npr.org. 11 Oct 2007. National Public Radio. 23 Oct 2007 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId= 15193990>. "Methods of Execution." www.deathpenaltyinfo.org. 2007. Death Penalty Information Center. 23 Oct 2007 <http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=245>. Peterson, Kavan. "Death Penalty: Lethal Injection on Trail." www.stateline.org. 2 Aug 2006. Stateline. 23 Oct 2007 <http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action? siteNodeId=136&languageId=1 &contentId=98349>. "Problems With Lethal Injection as a Form of Execution." www.ocucc.org. 2003. Ohio Conference Unite Church of Christ. 23 Oct 2007 <http://www.ocucc.org/DeathPenalty/Problems.htm>. |