Saturday, April 28, 2007

Judicial Murder

"Lethal Injection Procedures," as officially established by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation:

In advance of the execution, syringes containing the following are prepared:

5.0 grams of sodium pentothal in 20-25 cc of diluent

50 cc of pancuronium bromide

50 cc of potassium chloride

Each chemical is lethal in the amounts administered.

At the warden’s signal, sodium pentothal is administered, then the line is flushed with sterile normal saline solution. This is followed by pancuronium bromide, a saline flush, and finally, potassium chloride. As required by the California Penal Code, a physician is present to declare when death occurs.

In 129 nations, the death penalty has either been officially abolished, or not used for at least ten years.

Twenty-five countries still use the death penalty. The only European nation to still execute its prisoners is Belarus.

The nations making the Top Ten for number of judicial killings in 2006 are as follows:

China
Iran
Pakistan
Iraq
Sudan
United States of America
Saudi Arabia
Yemen
Vietnam
Kuwait

We're in fine company.

No further comment.

3 comments:

Zachary Freier said...

Communists and dictators and Americans unite!

Zachary Freier said...

I've never understood the death penalty, anyway. I personally would say that being in prison for life would be much worse. The justice system is set up with the death penalty being the worst sentence, and life in prison being the second worst; but I think people who get the death penalty get off easier than those who have to spend decades behind bars.

Rainier96 said...

You think? I guess it depends on the individual. But there are lots of prisoners who have been on death row for decades and keep desperately working their appeals to avoid execution.

Also some who drop their appeals and ask to be executed, of course.

Humans probably get used to just about any kind of life, and unless they're in real physical pain it seems better to them than being dead -- even if it wouldn't seem that way to us.