Lethal Injections

[OGM]

I guess it is becoming more difficult for States in the U.S. of A. to find drugs for lethal injection. BBC News - Lethal injection: Secretive US states resort to untested drugs

Also this little tidbit caught my eye.

California, for instance, has spent about $4bn since 1978 to fund its capital punishment system, but has executed only 13 prisoners.

That comes to $307,692,307.69 USD per execution. That enough to buy 13 nicely equipped Boeing 777s with money to spare. They need to execute the whole program and say some money!

 

[dogs4thewin]

Yes there should be no death penalty.

 

[AceHero]

I'm not really a fan of the death penalty, but I wonder how costly the other methods are.

 

[Gailerina]

If I am correct (it has been a while since I looked) one or two states had the following as options still: hanging and firing squad.

The cheapest would be hanging....but it is not as accurate as we are led to believe in movies. People don't always die quickly.

Firing squad would be cheap....but I am not sure it is fair to the men.

As for the the idea of the death penalty, I have no opinion. I don't know how I feel about it. In anger we are quick to want to kill a child molester or serial killer. I think convicting innocent people today has a lower percentage then years ago. I firmly believe years ago a lot of innocent people were sentence to jail.

 

[AceHero]

As for the the idea of the death penalty, I have no opinion. I don't know how I feel about it. In anger we are quick to want to kill a child molester or serial killer. I think convicting innocent people today has a lower percentage then years ago. I firmly believe years ago a lot of innocent people were sentence to jail.

And I'm sure we've put a number of innocent people to death.

Then there are states like Texas who execute inmates like there's no tomorrow. Apparently they're scheduled to execute seven people between December 3rd and April 16th. :o

 

[Darkhorse]

This is silly. The lethal-injection drugs are cheap to make, and the patents on them have long since expired, so any state could hire chemists to make them.

It's just "do-gooders" trying to limit executions by not selling the drugs to the prison system.

Of course, they could always go back to the electric chair; that's really cheap!

 

[Vanilla Scripture]

Wasn't it in Texas that an death row inmate volunteered to be the first inmate executed using veterinary euthanasia chemicals? One chemical as opposed to the blend of three that affect the body in stages.

Why don't CP those prisons that have difficulty getting the standard chemicals just resort to the one veterinary drug. It is instantaneous and takes less time.

I don't for a minute believe the math about the expenditure for the euthanasia chemicals in California. Sounds like an audit is in order.
I can't image it would even cost near to 300 million for the duration of a death row inmates appeals.

 

[Autumnleaf]

Potassium is still pretty cheap.

 

[ewells36]

If I am correct (it has been a while since I looked) one or two states had the following as options still: hanging and firing squad.

The cheapest would be hanging....but it is not as accurate as we are led to believe in movies. People don't always die quickly.

Firing squad would be cheap....but I am not sure it is fair to the men.

As for the the idea of the death penalty, I have no opinion. I don't know how I feel about it. In anger we are quick to want to kill a child molester or serial killer. I think convicting innocent people today has a lower percentage then years ago. I firmly believe years ago a lot of innocent people were sentence to jail.

Utah still has the firing squad I do believe. I was watching Lockup: Extended Stay and one of the death row inmates chose this way to be executed and his logic was that he will take what was handed to him like a man and that you put down dogs with the lethal injections and he is not a dog, so he will take the firing squad so that those who kill him, he states, will have to look at him and realize what they are doing.

The warden stated that they do this by placing the condemned into the chair, strapping his down, place a black hood over his head and that 5 or 6 officers are in another room and they all shoot, I believe, at the same time and none of them know which one of them has made the shot that has killed the condemned. I watch too much Lockup on YouTube at times but its such a good show

 

[TheDag]

I heard claims of a study which shows executing prisoners actually costs more than imprisonment. I didn't catch the name of the study and obviously have not looked it up but certainly food for thought. I guess there is an acknowledgment that the state needs to be very thorough before executing someone to make sure they really are guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Perhaps prisoners on death row are more willing to fight the charges.

 

[Standing_Ultraviolet]

I heard claims of a study which shows executing prisoners actually costs more than imprisonment. I didn't catch the name of the study and obviously have not looked it up but certainly food for thought. I guess there is an acknowledgment that the state needs to be very thorough before executing someone to make sure they really are guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Perhaps prisoners on death row are more willing to fight the charges.

I don't know that it's one study, so much as it is a commonly known and objective fact. The truth of the matter is that death row inmates are usually on death row for decades. They are placed in single-person cells in a special part of the prison, so their costs are ultimately higher than an equivalent lifer just because of the fact that they have a lower population with its own security. On top of that, they go through the appeals process, often with a court appointed lawyer. At the very least, the state has to pay to attempt to defend the sentence for decades.

Let's be real about this. The death penalty is a punishment for the emotional satisfaction of the public. It's rarely used, so it doesn't deter anyone. No prosecuting attorney wants to prosecute a death penalty case, because they're controversial, drawn out, and just generally awful. It's expensive, it involves killing a human being, etc. It would be better from both a moral and a logistical standpoint if they just did away with it altogether.

 

[Jonathan Jarvis]

Potassium is still pretty cheap.

Potassium Citrate is a heart stopper and can be bought on Amazon for about $4.00. Like Chrystal Meth, which is just as deadly, you can make it in your back kitchen from household items.

 

[Darkhorse]

Utah still has the firing squad I do believe. I was watching Lockup: Extended Stay and one of the death row inmates chose this way to be executed and his logic was that he will take what was handed to him like a man and that you put down dogs with the lethal injections and he is not a dog, so he will take the firing squad so that those who kill him, he states, will have to look at him and realize what they are doing.

The warden stated that they do this by placing the condemned into the chair, strapping his down, place a black hood over his head and that 5 or 6 officers are in another room and they all shoot, I believe, at the same time and none of them know which one of them has made the shot that has killed the condemned. I watch too much Lockup on YouTube at times but its such a good show

Yes, Gary Gilmore was executed this way (in Utah) in 1977. He also expressed a "macho" mindset for choosing it.

Utah is the state which allowed criminals to choose between shooting and hanging; I don't know if they have that choice anymore.

My state (Virginia) uses lethal injection, but every so often a convict will choose the electric chair (the old way) for some reason. Whatever turns you on!

 

[Gailerina]

I watch too much Lockup on YouTube at times but its such a good show

Just wanted to say I like that show. Very interesting to see all sides.

Sent from my iPhone using CF

 

[Billnew]

Potassium is still pretty cheap.

Potassium cyanide and a good dose of painkillers would make a nice painless execution.

Personally, I never celebrate anyones death, but I support the DP.
I believe it should be as quick as possible. Painless if possible.

If you can't get a vein, insert a central line.
Can't get a central line or other problems with lethal injection, have a firing squad standing by or the hangman.
Do not make a person live their last night on earth a second time.

I believe the fastest death is by Guillotine. But most people don't like that option. The noose basically does the same thing the blade does but leaves the head in place, but sometimes misses.

Advise prisoners that intentionally over eat in hopes of getting a court to change your sentence to life, that an alternate means of execution will be used if you cannot be executed one way.

Limit execution to the most terrible crimes, but carry it out in a reasonable time period. The longer it takes to execute someone, the less likely people will remember how bad the crime was. The longer it takes, the more likely people will find a reason not to execute someone.

 

[ProudMomxmany]

I am HIGHLY opposed to the death penalty. It's not a deterrent, it lets the criminal off easy compared to his/her victims and there is always the possibility that the condemned is actually innocent.

Not to mention the disconnect in saying you're "pro-life" yet for the death penalty. How on earth can you be pro-life if you support killing people?

Pro-life means from conception to natural death...no exceptions.

 

[Ave Maria]

I hope that they find it more difficult to find all methods of capital punishment. I want to see capital punishment abolished and if that means eliminating the supplies of things used to execute criminals then so be it. It would be better to imprison them for life.