But is it cruel? There are descriptions of botched executions where the inmate was clearly in tremendous pain. That speaks to the issue of constitutionality.

Beyond that is the issue of wrongful conviction. How do you address the possibility of executing someone wrongfully convicted?

We entrust the government to enforce our laws and give out justice. Otherwise we would have vigilante justice. For some actions death is the appropriate punishment.

I've been over it with him--not only does he think a few innocents are an acceptable price, but he wants to increase the potential for killing innocents by making the system more "efficient."

__________________
"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states...Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."



~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It was ruled not to be cruel and I agree it is not cruel. Cruel refers to excessively painful or brutal. Things like torture. They should not botch those. I have questions on lethal injection specifically. I would think it would be better to just OD them on sedatives. Use so much excess that there is no botching, but I am no expert on drugs.

That is a problem in the system. It is something that is currently un-fixable. That does not mean the punishment is wrong. Just as people are wrongfully convicted and punished in other ways.

The way the system is now is unacceptable. Having the sit on death row to death does not work. It is an acceptable price of having a justice system in general that you will occasionally mis-convict.

Are you suggesting that the occasional execution of a wrongfully convicted individual is acceptable?

Yes. The justice system is not perfect, at least in our current state. To have such a system there will be errors. The punishment is appropriate for certain crimes. With any punishment there will be errors. That does not mean the punishment is wrong. If you do not want errors you can not have a justice system. That takes us back to vigilante justice.

Yeah--falsely imprisoning people is not too high a price.

Falsely killing them? You really believe that's acceptable?

__________________
"Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states...Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds."



~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Just as acceptable as any other false punishment.

I fully agree with xjoex here.