[Bastet]

A very informative and thought-provoking post. Didn't know they use it as an execution method outside of US as well. Got very striking cold shivers while reading that.

[jerrytweb]

this is really interesting, reading about the steps leading up to the execution i couldn't help but think about The Green Mile.

[petedeamon]

I think the death penalty should be quick and the prisoner should be alert...just as their victims were. I have a particular liking to the electric chair as it has a ominous reputation of letting you feel the dread...sometimes (It's a crap shoot) but it carries a good message for the assholes that murder. I also think that we should speed up the process. With DNA the question is really a moot point and when there is a question we can give them life without parole.

[petedeamon]

The injection isn't used as much as it should be or as soon. Anyone reading about the acts these monsters do on their victims would agree. It seems the ones with the least compassion want this for themselves...push the plunger.

[silentthunder]

Arizona has to have (or at least they used to) at least 2 people not connected to the crime, the victims or the judicial system. You put your name on a list and when your name gets called up, you can either go and witness the execution or pass and your name is taken off the list. I can't say I would want to witness anything like that. A video is one thing but up close and personal....I don't think so.

[Mdcastle]

Originally Posted by econobox ↗

Why do they have to use a "Rube Goldberg" setup (anaesthetic, paralyzing agent, then potassium chloride)? When a dog is euthanized, a single-drug setup (barbituate overdose) is used.

There have been challenges of "cruel and unusual punishment" on the grounds that not enough anaesthetic was given, so the prisoner was still concious, and the paralyzing agent kept their reaction to the KCl from being seen. Since the anaesthetic is from the barbituate family (known to have a narrow theraputic index, i.e. the lethal dose is a small multiple of the normal dose), why not simplify things: Inject the prisoner with (calculated to be) a lethal dose of the anaesthetic. Wait a few minutes. Is he still alive? Then give him some more. Repeat as necessary - and zero possibility of the prisoner still being concious at the time of death.

Basically it wasn't well thought out. Despite being called the "Texas Cocktail" it was thought up by one guy in Oklahoma (which is the deadliest state per capita), as an alternative to an expensive rehabilitation of their electric chair. The orginal justification, to the extent there was one, is that they would take too long to die with just an anesthetic and you wouldn't want to keep the witnesses waiting.

A lot of states are switching to an anesthetic overdose only, but it's taken legal challenges and overcoming inertia to be making a switch, and getting death juice that's legal to use on humans (you wouldn't want to use vet grade stuff to kill someone now would you) is an ongoing issue.

[Mdcastle]

Edit: another reason alleged for not using a single drug was it was too similar to putting an animal to sleep, and the thought was the public wouldn't support that for humans.

[baberry64828]

I don't believe that it should be either cruel or unusual, but they should be aware of what is going on,and very painful! Call it a deterrent.

[Cthulhu]

Originally Posted by baberry64828 ↗

I don't believe that it should be either cruel or unusual, but they should be aware of what is going on,and very painful! Call it a deterrent.

It's not a deterrent at all. Electrocution was far from painless, and never deterred anyone. Execution is nothing more than a form of legal retribution. At it's core, it's hypocrisy incarnate.

[alpha.first.one]

a heavy lead pipe would be my choice for those fuckers.