Did you know that since 1976 more than 1,300 people have been executed in the U.S.? To Kill Or Not To Kill? by Patricia Smith is about the decline in the United States of capital punishment in recent years. It's surprising how un professional these executions are performed. Based on the outcome of recent botched executions evidence has shown that the drugs used to kill criminals have not been tested.
Two incidences where inmates were given the lethal drug suffered and did not die till 30 minutes later. The author writes "last April Clayton Lockett was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and had been given an infection when he started kicking, twitching, and then writhing and moaning in agony". This clearly demonstrates that Lockett was used as a lab rat. Also in July Arizona state took over two hours to kill Joseph R. Wood a reporter counted 640 gasps before he finally died. This part of the article makes my wonder why political leaders haven't imposed a nationwide moratorium on the death penalty. The inconsistencies of these tragic events show that different drugs are used each time.
There are several reasons for these mishaps. The article states "because most doctors see participation in executions as a violation of their oath do no harm many lethal injections are carried out by people with little or no medical training". This illustrates that there is a lack of people with medical knowledge developing the death cocktail. The exact sources of where prisons get their drugs are vague, "it's forced prisons systems to try untested drug combinations". European drug manufactures refuse to sell drugs to prisons for the purpose of execution. Although these criminals are sentenced to death row we need to take a stronger look at how capital punishment is carried out.
After reading this article I am more convinced then ever that capital punishment should be obliterated and that criminals live out their life sentences in jail. I
feel that it is too final of a punishment in a judicial system where many mistakes can be made. Until our drugs can be tested and the final outcome of the executions can be ensured it should be ruled un constitutional.
Two incidences where inmates were given the lethal drug suffered and did not die till 30 minutes later. The author writes "last April Clayton Lockett was strapped to a gurney in the death chamber of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary and had been given an infection when he started kicking, twitching, and then writhing and moaning in agony". This clearly demonstrates that Lockett was used as a lab rat. Also in July Arizona state took over two hours to kill Joseph R. Wood a reporter counted 640 gasps before he finally died. This part of the article makes my wonder why political leaders haven't imposed a nationwide moratorium on the death penalty. The inconsistencies of these tragic events show that different drugs are used each time.
There are several reasons for these mishaps. The article states "because most doctors see participation in executions as a violation of their oath do no harm many lethal injections are carried out by people with little or no medical training". This illustrates that there is a lack of people with medical knowledge developing the death cocktail. The exact sources of where prisons get their drugs are vague, "it's forced prisons systems to try untested drug combinations". European drug manufactures refuse to sell drugs to prisons for the purpose of execution. Although these criminals are sentenced to death row we need to take a stronger look at how capital punishment is carried out.
After reading this article I am more convinced then ever that capital punishment should be obliterated and that criminals live out their life sentences in jail. I
feel that it is too final of a punishment in a judicial system where many mistakes can be made. Until our drugs can be tested and the final outcome of the executions can be ensured it should be ruled un constitutional.
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