The death penalty has been debated a lot in the past. Most people debate on keeping the death penalty or abolishing the death penalty. Some states have already abolished the death penalty, infact 21 of them already have as of now. Meanwhile others still give the option to the criminal to choose some of the most inhumane ways to die. For example, the firing squad is still an option in three states, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Utah. Although the lethal injection is still the most common option, the person still has the option to use various different ways. I think that that the death penalty should be abolished because it doesnt deliver justice to the loved ones of the victim, lethal injection can’t gaurentee a painless death, and what the drugs are actually doing can cause extreme pain.
The death penalty does not and will not ever deliver justice to the killer. Once the victim is gone they are gone forever. Why would you want to cause more pain and sorrow in more people? What the killer did was terrible but does he deserve to die? No he should not, most families will report that after watching the execution of the killer that they feel put at just, but what about the other family? The one of the criminals. The victim’s loved ones would know how it feels to lose someone they love dearly so then why wish it upon someone else? The death penalty does not deliver justice because at the end of the day the victim is dead and there is nothing you can do to bring them back. Killing the criminal will do nothing but cause more pain and more sorrow in more people. So why do it, if the prisoner is just given life in prison without parole instead of killing another person, doesn’t it help the victim’s family to know that the person will never see the outside world ever again, just like their family member?
Another reason the death penalty needs to be abolished because it can be painful and inhumane. Now most people would say that the victim was killed in a more gruesome way then I couple drugs being pumped through them, but there have been multiple cases where the public who were watching the killing said that the criminal showed obvious signs of pain. Some executions have been reported to last upwards of thirty minutes until they were pronounced dead. In those thirty minutes the person was seen grimacing in pain and even though the room is soundproof, some said they heard the screams of the victim after the drugs were injected.
The reason this is a possibility is because the first of the three drugs may not work. This drug is called Midazolam. Typically this drug is injected first and it will knock the person unconscious, making the rest of the execution seem like one big dream. Of course nothing is perfect and there have been numerous times that the person has not gone fully unconscious and will experience the pain of the next two drugs. The second drug that is used in the execution is called Pancuronium Bromide. This drug causes your respiratory system to stop working during the execution, the second thing this drug does is it causes temporary paralysis in your muscles. This drug is actually used in surgeries to provide muscle relaxation and is used during tracheal intubation. If the first drug doesn’t work they will feel the second drug running through their veins and stopping their muscles from working. This process is extremely painful when not put to sleep. The final drug is Potassium Chloride. This drug goes straight to the heart and stops it. When not under anesthesia this drug is considered the most painful drug to die from as it literally burns your veins as it makes its way to your heart, eventually killing you.
All of these factors are possible and probably happen more often than we think.
