Death penalty needs revisions

Our View

The death penalty has always been a source of controversy, but the procedure is drawing a lot more with the botched execution of Clayton Lockett, an Oklahoma inmate that spent 40 minutes writhing in pain from the cocktail of drugs that was given. He had a heart attack and died. President Obama called the event “deeply disturbing” and said that he would have the attorney general review the death penalty.

A study by the Constitution Project called “Irreversible Error” cited multiple issues with the death penalty and said executing people convicted of felony murder violates the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which bans cruel, unusual and excessive punishment for crimes. It also declared that states should consider moving to a single lethal drug instead of a mix of three drugs because it leaves less room for error that causes unnecessary pain.

There is an unnecessary silence surrounding the sources of the drug; an Oklahoman court ruled that its “secrecy provision” is lawful. The secrecy provision forbids information from being released about where the drugs come from and the identities of anyone involved with the execution.

We at the Tiger Hi-Line agree with the disturbingness of the situation and hope that the death penalty procedure will be reconsidered; hopefully with a less inhumane procedure that doesn’t inflict pain on death row inmates.