Common sense regarding the Death Penalty

[TFOGGER]

I will say first and foremost that I am a proponent of the death penalty, and see nothing wrong with a firing squad, or hanging, or the electric chair as means of carrying out that sentence. For whatever reason, the courts have decided that lethal injection is the appropriate method to humanely(wtf?) execute murderers. In recent years, there has been an issue with pharmaceutical companies either refusing to supply the selected drugs to the states, or supplying drugs that were not effective(again, wtf?, it's not that hard to OD someone).

My question is this: Why the hell don't they use some of the drugs that they confiscate from drug dealers(heroin, for instance) to carry out executions? Even if the drugs were cut with adulterants for street sale, I'm certain that say, 1000 times the normal lethal dose would be more than adequate to ensure a positive result. This would solve the issue of drug companies refusing to sell to the states, as well as aiding in the disposal of confiscated drugs.

I don't intend for this thread to become yet another discussion about the merits or weaknesses of capital punishment, merely a discussion of the methodology and logistical issues surrounding lethal injection.

[Sawin]

I appreciate your logic, but I see one problem with your otherwise interesting idea, TFOGGER.... Granted my reply below is largely "Tongue in Cheek" and not what I personally believe, some might argue that there are sad truths within it... I imagine we've all heard rumors that "the prison system is a money maker" and "cops are crooked", etc....

In both areas of this idea (the death-row-inmate and the drugs), there's money being lost on both accounts by doing it your way.

1. Killing the convict results in lessened $$ for the system, so they're not altogether motivated to put them down even if well deserved after being convicted to death by a jury.
2. Using "N" amount of confiscated drugs means "N" amount of value lost that can't be sold back on the street following "case closed".

[vossman]

But then the govt wouldn't have reason to buy that shit at crazy expensive prices. I hear you though. What makes the lethal injection formula correct. There are so many ways to get the same result. Put enough of most any drug into someone and it will knock them out then kill them.

[Brian]

There you go with that common sense...

Pretty sure there's a list of drugs that have been "tested" somehow and are acceptable for this use. For anything not on that list - it'd be hard to say you'd know what the effects are if they haven't been tested. Maybe it'd kill you but it might take hours, or have other nasty side effects. Then you have the problem that drugs you're going to confiscate are probably cut with who-knows-what that might have other random effects too.

The cynical side of me also assumes that there's large amounts of money involved somewhere. Someone is paying someone else large stacks of cash for the "proper" way to do it.

[TheGrey]

I think it lies in the area of "humanely" killing. Street drugs, such as heroin, do not provide a "humane" death when overdosing. It's not clean, and there is something incredibly twisted about using a "recreational" (albeit highly illegal) drug to put a prisoner to death. It's got to be separated in order to be sanctioned.

Using lethal injection used to be a fairly "clean" way of doing the deed; there was no pain, no unsightly convulsions, no obvious distress. I suspect it has to do with the people involved in this last act as much as it does the prisoner's rights...but I am just guessing.

[Brian]

I suspect it has to do with the people involved in this last act as much as it does the prisoner's rights...but I am just guessing.

That's a really good point I hadn't thought about. Ultimately, we may not care about the guy who's going to die, but there are a lot of people who have to live with being the instrument of the death. Somewhat like having blank rounds in some of the rifles used by the firing squad. They have to be able to live with being a part of it somehow.

[ruthabagah]

It's all about being "human" ... what a joke. If I was in charge I would go back to the good old time of the guillotine.... Most human way to execute!

http://www.history.com/topics/french...ort-guillotine

[HoneyBadger]

I like rope. its reuseable.

[sroz]

I'm opposed because what you are suggesting is government sponsored drug addiction.

[TFOGGER]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/p...hal-injection/

“Because the Court declined to require that states follow scientific guidelines in determining their lethal injection procedures, states will be allowed to conduct additional human experimentation when they carry out executions by lethal injection,” Dale Baich, one of the attorneys for the prisoners, said in a statement.[Read the court’s opinion on lethal injection drug]
Midazolam was used in the execution of convicted murdered Clayton Lockett, who kicked and grimaced during his execution last year before dying 43 minutes after it began. A state investigation blamed the bungled procedure on poor placement of a needle during the injection. The same drug was also used in the execution of an Arizona inmate who took nearly two hours to die last year.

Seriously, why are they using these exotic ineffective drugs, when there are so many proven alternatives available? FFS, veterinary euthanasia is a science that has been refined for over a hundred years.