Law Commons^™

The Crime, The Case, The Killer Cocktail: Why Maryland's Capital Punishment Procedure Constitutes Cruel And Unusual Punishment, Matthew E. Feinberg

Matthew E Feinberg

Recent challenges to the death penalty argue that the anesthetic used in a majority of executions can wear off prior to death. Eye-witness accounts provide evidence that often, executions have not been completed painlessly, even when procedures are presumably completed in conformance with protocol. The lack of experience and training of Maryland's execution team produces a risk of botched executions. Finally, the drug cocktail is so powerful that it has been banned for use on animals due to the intense pain it inflicts. Each of these four concerns present a significant risk of excruciating pain for the inmate. The culmination …