State must investigate lethal injection process

December 28, 2006

State must investigate lethal injection process

In recent days a botched execution caused the governor of Florida to halt executions there and order an investigation into Florida's lethal injection process; a federal court in California found that state's lethal injection process violates the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment, effectively imposing a moratorium; and Maryland's highest court ordered that state to open its lethal injection protocols for public scrutiny.

These developments follow a study that found some of those executed by lethal injection were probably subjected to excruciating pain.Indiana scheduled Norman Timberlake's execution for Jan. 19.

Indiana uses the same lethal injection process as other states but so far does not seem concerned that it may be torturing its citizens to death. Lethal injection's promises of a humane death are proving false.

The Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment calls on Gov. Daniels to immediately halt executions and appoint an independent commission to investigate Indiana's lethal injection process. If the state seeks to extract the ultimate penalty from one of its citizens, it has the duty to demonstrate that it is being done in manner consistent with its original intent and the Indiana and U.S. constitutions. IICACP opposes all executions, but even death penalty supporters can agree with us on this issue.

Chris Hitz-Bradley

President, Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment

Crawfordsville