Young Writers Society

This research really changed my mind on the death penalty. On the other hand, murderurs don't deserve to be treated better than they treated others...

The Death Penalty

Through the years, the death penalty has been a big issue. The real question behind it all is this: is the death penalty humane? Many earlier methods were quite tortuous and messy, as are the harsher but newer methods such as electrocution and gas chambers. However, although many forms of execution- hanging, firing squads, electrocution, and gas chambers- are painful or slow, lethal injection, when done properly, is a quick and painless- humane- way of carrying out the death penalty.

Hanging was the primary method of death until 1890. Today it is only available in Delaware and Washington, but both allow lethal injection as well. When hanging was invented, there was much less technology available, so a simple structure was created. This structure, the gallows, held a rope tied in a noose that, when a person was dropped while their neck was encircled by the rope, should break the person’s neck and kill them. For this to work, however, measurements have to be exact, which they rarely were. Because of this, many of the hanged suffocated instead, creating a long and painful suffering for the prisoner. The visual signs of this torture include popping eyes, writhing and spasms, and defecation. This method of death was, certainly, a torturous and inhumane death penalty.

The firing squad method of execution is only available in Utah and Idaho now, but it is still a gruesome way to die. Typically, sand bags surround the inmate to absorb the blood, which there is a lot of, from the inmate. The heart is pinpointed and marked, but misses, either intentionally or by accident, leave the prisoner suffering and in immense pain until he dies of blood loss. Very few people would want to dies slowly and painfully, and that is what makes the firing squad so inhumane.

In 1888, New York invented the electric chair as a more humane means of executing inmates sentenced to death. Upon reading the description of this execution, one may not find it as humane as one would have liked. For electrocution, the prisoner is shaved and electrodes are placed on the head with a skullcap and on one leg, and belts cross their body to keep them held down fast. The person is blindfolded, then 500-2,000 volts are applied in a jolt of electricity in which the convict usually grips the chair and convulses so violently it can result in dislocations, factures, or other breaks in their bones. The body then relaxes, and then, after the person has cooled down, he is checked for a heartbeat. If one is found, the jolt is reapplied until the person dies. After the process is over, the victim is usually burned on his head and leg where the electrodes were attached, and his insides are cooked. Touching the convict would result in blistering before he cools down. Eyes have been recorded to pop out, the person defecates, and he vomits blood and drool. Sometimes the person even catches on fire. It’s clearly not a very nice experience to watch, let alone go through! Such disfiguration could hardly be called humane punishment.

Another grotesque method of execution is the gas chamber. Although less painful and disfiguring, the gas chamber gives the captive anxiety levels reaching those of heart attacks. This method was invented in 1924 in Nevada. It uses cyanide gas created from sulfur and cyanide crystals reacted below the convict. The prisoners are told to breathe deeply to help the process, but they, understandably, try to hold their breath to avoid the lethal chemical. Each inmate experiences pain and torture from lack of oxygen, and eventually dies from insufficient oxygen to the brain. His eyes pop out, his skin turns purples, and he drools. This method is perhaps the most frightening way to die during the process, and it is a longer process than the others when done correctly. In California, this method was deemed unconstitutional as cruel and unusual punishment. It is not hard to see their reasoning; this is a very inhumane way to destroy the convicted prisoner.

There are so many gruesome and torturous ways to execute a convicted person, it may cause doubt in many that before reading these descriptions supported the death penalty fully. That doubt may be taken away, however, by the quick and painless method of lethal injection. When done properly, the inmate is put under anesthetics, his muscles are relaxed, and then he is injected and dies while unconscious. There is a drawback, however. When done incorrectly, lethal injection is not a pretty experience. Unfortunately, this happens more than it should, since doctors are bound by medical ethics not to perform these injections. The result? Excruciating pain for the convicted. If a muscle is hit instead of the vein, or if the needle gets clogged, the pain is extreme. In addition, drug addicts and other criminals with problems may have collapsed or ruined veins. This results in a lot of probing to find a working vein, which could also be painful and causes a great delay with the prisoner strapped down, awaiting his death. This experience, nevertheless, is obviously preferable to electrocution, the gas chamber, or any other method currently used. In fact, many would agree that it’s preferable to a lifetime in jail, awaiting a natural death that is even slower in coming. All in all, lethal injection is a generally painless way to kill a criminal, and, no matter what happens, is still better than any other method available.

Until lethal injection, the death penalty was certainly a sentence that hung over the convicted. Each one provides great pain or anxiety, and either an extremely painful death, or an agonizingly slow death. Hanging can result in slow suffocation. Firing squads are messy, painful, and sometimes slow because the heart is missed. Electrocution may take multiple tries, and disfigures the person badly, causing immense pain. Gas chambers create terrible anxiety and pain. The only painless method, then, is lethal injection. Even this method, however, has its mistakes, which also cause great pain. How can this be remedied? Consider this: if the executioners fail the process because of lack of training, perhaps more training should be provided. Then, lethal injection can be done properly as much as humanly possible, creating a humane way to punish all inmates sentenced to death for their crimes.