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Why botched lethal injections are becoming more common
The botch rate has climbed to about 8% since 2010, as drug shortages and untrained staff push states toward firing squads and nitrogen hypoxia.
- On Wednesday night in Tennessee, the state's attempt to execute Christa Pike failed, leaving the 50-year-old in critical condition after receiving two doses of pentobarbital, a sedative.
- Since 2010, pharmaceutical companies have restricted drugs used in executions, forcing states to rely on compounding pharmacies that often provide improperly stored or potency-deficient drugs.
- Corinna Barrett Lain, a University of Richmond School of Law professor, called the current process a "Frankenstein version of the medical model," noting untrained prison guards administer drugs through tubing.
- Major medical groups including the American Medical Association and American Nurses Association prohibit members from participating in executions. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice expanded execution methods in April to include firing squads.
- The United States has sought "safe, reliable and humane" execution methods since the nineteenth century, Amherst College professor Austin Sarat noted. Yet this focus obscures whether punishment itself can be administered without cruelty.
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Christa Pike's failed execution attempt on Wednesday night in Tennessee wasn't the first time a lethal injection didn't go as planned.
Why botched lethal injections are becoming more common
By Meg Tirrell, CNN (CNN) — The failed execution of Christa Pike Wednesday night in Tennessee wasn’t the first time a lethal injection didn’t go as planned.It wasn’t even the first time this year in the state of Tennessee.“The incidence of people surviving executions has certainly increased as states have encountered more difficulties with lethal
·Panama City, United States
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Survival of Christa Pike after the death penalty exposes problems related to legalized practice in 27 of the 50 American states
·São Paulo, Brazil
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Total News Sources15
Leaning Left0Leaning Right1Center13Last UpdatedBias Distribution93% Center
Bias Distribution
- 93% of the sources are Center
93% Center
C 93%
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