Ethics
Out of the Death Penalty methods still offered by the US Government which is the most ethical?
Lethal Injection-Because based on the list of botched executions by Professor Michael Radelot, of the botched executions that occur from the injection they are commonly due to the doctors performing the procedure not being able to find a vein that will work ("Botched Executions").
What Amendment allows the death penalty to take place?
The 8th Amendment.
Commonly what is seen as the most violent method compared to the lethal Injection?
The electric chair, which can involve charred flesh and bloodied clothes as it can go on for more than one cycle lasting minutes, and could be warranted as cruel and unusual punishment.
What is the cost of the lethal injection's three drug cocktail?
$90
This method is used most of the time to carry out capital punishment....
The lethal injection
The Lethal injection is commonly considered botched due to?
The inmate being cut open or probed in multiple places to find a vein without general anesthsia leaving them in pain or violent reactions to the drugs as well as the drugs not circulating properly or even solidifying in the IV tube.
An example being John Wayne Gacy who was executed by lethal injection, it was considered botched due to a chemical reaction that solidified in IV (meaning they had to change the tubing before continuing with the execution)
What 2008 Supreme Court case upheld the use of the lethal injection?
Baze v. Rees
According to Cornell University:
"The Supreme Court in Baze also applied an "objectively intolerable" test to determine if the method of execution violates the Eighth Amendment's ban on cruel and unusual punishment."
Why may the lethal injection be seen as worse then the Gas Chamber?
The lungs fill with fluid ("Gasping For Air")
Why is the Lethal Injection more cost friendly?
The cost is set in stone for each inmate.
What states offer the least ethical methods: Electric Chair and the Lethal Gas?
Electrocution: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee
Lethal Gas: Alabama,Arizona,California,Mississippi,Missouri,Oklahoma and Wyoming
Why is it considered ethical?
The use of anesthesia, which is used in the three drug cocktail.
What 2015 Supreme Court case argued the legality of the lethal injection?
Glossip v. Gross
Specifically the court case was about the introduction to a 4-drug cocktail and how the new drug was causing inmates (only three inmates) to wake up during the process and if it violated the 8th Amendment they found it did not as there wasn't evidence that it was cruel and unusual punishment as they want it to be as painless as it can and there wasn't sufficient evidence that the inmates were in significant pain
What does the lethal injection cause the inmate to die of, that may seem more ethical then the other methods?
The inmate dies most commonly of Cardiac Arrest, but depending on the drugs used this can differ.
On average what is the cost to house an inmate on death row?
$4,157,692 and $54,285.50 per inmate (Cohen 32).
What method is allowed by the most states to be used?
The lethal injection
It is allowed by:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware,Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and the U.S. Military, U.S. Government
*This doesn't account for the states that have stopped using Capital Punishment
Why aren't the other methods considered ethical?
The other methods could be arguably seen as cruel due to the lack of pain management.
How does the supreme court feel about the lethal injection?
They approve of it even though they commonly don't have all the same beliefs.
Why may the firing squid be seen as unethical compared to the injection?
They may miss a vital spot which can cause the inmate more pain then the injection can.
The cost for the electric chair depends on...
The state and the inmate.
When did the lethal injection become the preference?
The 90s
Could other methods that haven't been implemented be seen as ethical in the US?
No, there is no ethical method that is used outside of the United States that hasn't already been implemented
Do all state courts agree with the methods that the US allows?
No, they do not as they see some of the methods to be unethical and that they violate the 8th Amendment.
Is Saudi Arabia's method of beheading more ethical then the lethal injection?
Although Quick it is not ethical as the US agreed when the decision to implement the guillotine was denied as it isn't an ethical method to chop a persons head off.
What methods cost may depend on inflation?
Hanging and Firing Squid.
What are possible reasons for the injection being the preference?
It is commonly the most ethical and is cost friendly for prisons.