After several executions in Alabama could not be carried out properly, executions in the US state are temporarily suspended. Last week the execution of the death penalty for a convicted murderer failed – now the state system must be subjected to an investigation.
Last Thursday, an execution of a death row inmate had to be stopped: the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith by lethal injection failed because it was not possible to insert an IV line. Officers had trouble finding a vein for the most intravenous line: “We tried several places (on his body),” officials said.
Criticism of “longest execution in the US” in Alabama
A similar case occurred in September: death row inmate Alan Eugene Miller received 18 stitches, each time missing the vein. Even a cell phone flashlight was used to locate a blood vein, but to no avail. A record-breaking execution took place in Alabama in July. With three and a half hours, Joe Nathan James Jr.’s execution was over. the longest in American history. Organizations complained that this “excruciating procedure” violated constitutional protections against inhuman punishment.
Governor sees no guilt from the authorities
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has now suspended planned executions. A comprehensive review of the state’s death penalty system will be conducted to “ensure that the state can be successful in delivering justice in the future,” Ivey said. She doesn’t blame the Department of Corrections or law enforcement, but that “legal tactics and criminals hijacking the system are at play here.” What exactly she means by this remains unclear.
Organization calls for independent investigation
The Death Penalty Information Center organization welcomed the suspension of executions, but called for an investigation by independent experts. “The Alabama Department of Corrections has a history of denying and distorting the truth about its executive errors and cannot be trusted to meaningfully investigate its own incompetence and misconduct,” said Executive Director Robert Dunham.
Source: Krone
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