Execution and Lethal Injection

              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>.