January 03. 2007 6:59AM

Time for moratorium on Indiana executions

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

In recent weeks, 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.
In the midst of this growing concern with lethal injection, 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. First
introduced in Indiana as an alternative to death by electrocution, lethal injection's promises of a humane death are proving false.
The Bloomington Coalition Against the Death Penalty, a member group of the Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment, has spearheaded a moratorium campaign in Indiana and has rallied 48 different organizations to call for a moratorium on executions while the entire death penalty process is studied.
Recent revelations concerning problems with lethal injection give this effort added
immediacy.
The IICACP calls on Gov. Mitch 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 residents, 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
Indianapolis