Executions In Florida Put On Hold

[MJS]

It looks like a botched execution in Florida has resulted in the Gov. to make a call for all executions to be put on hold. It looks like the reason for this was because the needles were not inserted properly, causing Angel Nieves Diaz, to be in extreme pain.

Angel Nieves Diaz, a career criminal executed for killing a Miami topless bar manager 27 years ago, was given a rare second dose of deadly chemicals as he took more than twice the usual time to succumb. Needles that were supposed to inject drugs into the 55-year-old man’s veins were instead pushed all the way through the blood vessels into surrounding soft tissue. A medical examiner said he had chemical burns on both arms.

Apparently is took twice as long for the execution to take place due to this.

It took 34 minutes for Diaz to die. Executions by lethal injection normally take about 15 minutes, with the inmate unconscious and motionless within three to five minutes.

One thing that I found interesting was this:

“We are still grieving. It continues to get worse and worse, learning the details of what happened,” said Sol Otero, Diaz’ niece from Orlando. “The excruciating pain and torture my uncle went through for 34 minutes. He was literally crucified.”

I'm sure that there was alot of pain, but I have to wonder if anyone thought about the pain the girl he killed was going through. These types of executions seem to be quick and painless for the most part, this one being an exception.

Mike

 

[michaeledward]

It looks like a botched execution in Florida has resulted in the Gov. to make a call for all executions to be put on hold. It looks like the reason for this was because the needles were not inserted properly, causing Angel Nieves Diaz, to be in extreme pain.

Apparently is took twice as long for the execution to take place due to this.

One thing that I found interesting was this:

I'm sure that there was alot of pain, but I have to wonder if anyone thought about the pain the girl he killed was going through. These types of executions seem to be quick and painless for the most part, this one being an exception.

I think the execution was not botched. The man is dead. Doesn't that, by definition, indicate a successful execution?

The niece, however, is apparently unaware of the definition for the word 'literally'. While the execution process may have been painful for her uncle, he certainly was not crucified. Although, that does raise some interesting questions in the Terri Schiavo Right to Life State, doesn't it? Would crucifiction be an acceptable form of execution of capital punishment?

The first drug injected in the process is a paralyzing drug. This prevents the patient from indicating any level of pain when the second (and I think third) drugs are administered. This does present some interesting questions.

I will disagree with you, Mike, as to whether we should be thinking about the pain suffered by the criminal's victim. While that can be, I think, a motivating factor in sentencing, it should not be considered when carrying out the sentence. If we justify the criminal's, possibly, painful experience as the State takes the life, by the pain his victim suffered, we are moving out of the realm of justice, and into the realm of vengence.

Justice is supposed to be blind, and balanced. If we betray those principles to vengence, we begin to walk the path of vigalantism. Soon, many attrocious behaviors can be justified with the same reasoning.

19 Arab men destroyed thousands of lives and a couple of buildings; those men are now dead. Once we took the scales out of the hands of Lady Justice, we have justified indefinate imprisonment, varying degrees of mental and physical abuse, and erased one of the longest established rights of democratic society - the right to petition your emprisoner - all of which seems motivated by vengence, because the death of those men prevented us from administering blind justice.

 

[bydand]

michaeledward, usually I find myself on the other side of the disscusion from you. Nothing wrong with that, just a difference of one of us being more "right leaning" and the other more "left leaning". This post though I have to totally agree with you. The justice system is supposed to take the emotion out of the punishment phase. If the social leanings of the country are toward a quick death during a death penality execution, then that is what needs to happen to the best of our ability, no matter what personal feeling are.

 

[MJS]

I think the execution was not botched. The man is dead. Doesn't that, by definition, indicate a successful execution?

Yes, he is dead, however, the questions being raised or whats being termed 'botched' is the fact that it took 2 attempts.

The niece, however, is apparently unaware of the definition for the word 'literally'. While the execution process may have been painful for her uncle, he certainly was not crucified. Although, that does raise some interesting questions in the Terri Schiavo Right to Life State, doesn't it? Would crucifiction be an acceptable form of execution of capital punishment?

Yes, IMO, she took the word a bit out of context. Would crucification be acceptable as punishment? I doubt that would ever happen in the US.

The first drug injected in the process is a paralyzing drug. This prevents the patient from indicating any level of pain when the second (and I think third) drugs are administered. This does present some interesting questions.

I have to wonder if because the first drug was not given properly, if that contributed to the pain he was feeling.

I will disagree with you, Mike, as to whether we should be thinking about the pain suffered by the criminal's victim. While that can be, I think, a motivating factor in sentencing, it should not be considered when carrying out the sentence. If we justify the criminal's, possibly, painful experience as the State takes the life, by the pain his victim suffered, we are moving out of the realm of justice, and into the realm of vengence.

Points taken Mike. Discussions such as these rarely see agreements 100% of the time, and I was not looking for anyone to necessarily agree. It just reminds me of when I hear someone say that prison is too harsh on inmates. My POV is like this...don't do the crime, if ya can't do the time. If someone commits a crime, why should they have hours of time to do as they choose? I don't know the method he used to kill that girl, but to hear comments made by this guys neice...well, to me I take that as who cares about the girl, what about my poor uncle??