Extra Credit Blog

The title of this article is "Supreme Court Justices hotly debate the use of a lethal injection drug". Basically what is behind this article is the Supreme Court took place in a fiery debate over using a lethal injection drug on inmates. The justices’ had some angry words to say that appeared to reflect a deepening divide over the death penalty itself. 
In the article it states, "The justices were considering a challenge brought by death-row inmates in Oklahoma, who allege that the use of a sedative called midazolam has resulted in troubling executions that violate the Constitution’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. Problematic executions in Oklahoma and elsewhere have captured national headlines since early last year". This has been a debate that has sparked a riot in our nation. People claim that the use of a lethal injection is unconstitutional. All of the justices have their own personal opinion on the matter, and not all agree. This makes it very tricky. Elena Kagen stated, "Oklahoma could not prove that its use of midazolam would render inmates properly unconscious so they would not feel the effects of the potassium chloride, which causes death — “being burned alive from the inside” as she described it". An inmate in
Oklahoma who, after receiving the injection to be executed, writhed in pain from the injection is what drew attention back to the matter. This particular section of the article sparked my attention, "In Oklahoma, when state officials could no longer obtain the drug they used to rely on, they turned to the drug midazolam. This particular drug was used in three problematic executions last year, turning it into a focal point for debates about lethal injections. The most high-profile of these was Oklahoma’s bungled attempt to execute convicted murderer Clayton Lockett. He kicked, grimaced and survived for 43 minutes after the execution began. He eventually died after officials had already halted the process, and a state investigation blamed the bungled procedure on the manner in which the execution team inserted the needle. Midazolam was also used last year in the execution of an Arizona inmate who gasped and snorted and took nearly two hours to die, as well as the lethal injection of an Ohio inmate who gasped and choked before dying after nearly half an hour". 
In my opinion, I do not agree with a lethal injection. It is not an okay or humane way to die. To me, it does not matter how bad of a person you are or the extent of the crime you have committed. I believe spending the rest of your life behind bars is a far worse punishment than an injection that kills you. With the injection, you suffer a few minutes of pain and then its over. Rotting in jail with the rest of your life, in a dark cold cell confined to solitude is what scum bags deserve.