Law: Do Death Row Executions Need To Be Performed By Competent Doctors?

• San Jose Mercury News November 28, 2006
• Section B "The Valley"
• "Untrained Executioners" - Documents reveal little preparation for lethal injections. - by Howard Mintz
• Pictures:
• Morales - Death-row inmate behind challenge to lethal injection
• Fogel - San Jose U.S. district judge expected to rule soon
• By their own account, current and former members of San Quentin's execution team have little training or understanding of the rules or mixture of drugs used to put condemned murderers to death, documents released Monday show.
• The documents, filed by lawyers for death-row inmate Michael Morales in a federal court challengeto California's lethal-injection procedure, reveal testimony given by execution team members who were questioned privately earlier this year in the legal battle overthe state's execution method. Morales has challenged California's lethal-injection protocol, arguing that it risks causing inmates undue pain during an execution and amounts to cruel and unusual punishments.

• My thoughts:
• Notice the irony in complaining about the method of death of a proven murderer.
• Ways to help the doctors get the training they are said to need:
• Have murder row inmates train the doctors on effective ways they used to kill people.
• Ask Michael Savage to ask his listeners to call in and help him provide a broadcast seminar on how to put proven murderers to death.
• "Morales has challenged California's lethal-injection protocol" - What a bunch of nonsense. His lawyers are the ones making a hobby out of challenging. The murderer is along for the free ride to try and get out of the consequences for his act. Does anyone think he knows more about the protocol than the doctors?
• Why not just put the death-row inmate out with something simple like chloroform, or nitrous oxide, then do the prep for the lethal injection? Why should a death sentence for rape and murder be less painful than a visit to the dentist?
• Save on staffing costs by Just letting the death row inmates execute each other?
• The main reason to eliminate the death penalty: Reduce the gravy train for the lawyers. But it is probably futile to try and do anything intended to have that effect.

Other similar news entries:

• Problems Alleged in Execution of Crips Co-Founder
• Sep 6, 2006 | Los Angeles Times
• Lawyers for another condemned inmate say Stanley Tookie Williams may have felt horrible pain. Comment?

• Humboldt death row inmate attacked
• Aug 29, 2006 | Times-Standard - http://www.times-standard.com/local/ci_4254348
• A death row inmate from Humboldt County was severely injured Sunday when he was stabbed by three other death row prisoners in a group yard at San Quentin State Prison.
• San Quentin Death Row Inmate Critical After Attack
• Aug 28, 2006 | Cbs5.com - http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_240120426.html
• SAN QUENTIN, Calif. San Quentin State Prison authorities report that three death row inmates turned on a fourth Sunday morning, stabbing him with a shank.
• Death row inmate takes 34 minutes to die: http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/12/14/diaz.execution.ap/index.html
• Includes description of Florida death row process
• Story Highlights
• Angel Diaz took 34 minutes and two drug cocktails to die
• Witnesses believe he was mouthing a prayer as he slowly died
• Diaz was convicted of the 1979 murder of a Miami strip club manager
• The execution marks the state's fourth since September; 64th since 1979
• State says that prisoners liver problems made second drug cocktail necessary.