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Florida 's First Execution Since Botched One Set For Tuesday

On December 13, 2006, Angel Diaz of Puerto Rico was executed by lethal injection in Florida. It took 34 minutes to kill him.

An autopsy later revealed that the IVs inserted into Diaz were faulty, the drugs were injected into his tissues, not his veins, and they also were released in the wrong order so that Diaz received the last, painful drug before he should have. The autopsy revealed a foot-long chemical blister in his body tissue.

Gov. Jeb Bush ordered an investigation and a moratorium on executions ensued. Fast forward to Tuesday when Florida will resume killing inmates by lethal injection. [More...]

Florida will continue to use the three drug cocktail that the Supreme Court ruled in April does not constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

Of the three drugs, sodium thiopental is supposed to make the inmate unconscious. Pancuronium bromide paralyzes the muscular system. The third, potassium chloride, stops the heart. But critics say the last drug burns veins, and it causes severe pain if the inmate is not fully unconscious.

Florida says it has established new protocols.

The new procedures require that the personnel overseeing an execution receive the training needed to determine whether the first drug in the cocktail renders the inmate unconscious. The execution cannot proceed if it doesn't.

The new protocols will be tested Tuesday on Mark Dean Schwab, age 39. His lawyers have concerns.

An analysis done for Schwab's lawyers showed that nine of the 30 mock executions performed by Florida's Department of Corrections between September 2007 and May were failures, said one of his state-paid attorneys, Mark Gruber.

The corrections department said its mock exercises have included preparation for potential problems such as a combative inmate, the incapacity of an execution team member, power failure and finding a vein. "Training for the unexpected is not a failed mock execution," said Gretl Plessinger, a corrections department spokeswoman. "We're planning for contingencies."

Schwab's execution will take place at Florida's death chamber in Starke, about 40 miles southwest of Jacksonville.

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  • Display: Sort:
    Question. (none / 0) (#1)
    by phat on Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 12:05:11 AM EST
    Did the state of Florida follow correct procedure when enacting their new protocol? From what I understand, all states have specific procedures (set in statute) when deciding any sort of new administrative procedures. In cases like this I would assume public hearings and such would be mandated.

    Did they do this in Florida?

    Nebraska did not do this when enacting a new electrocution protocol and that did have some influence on how things played out in regards to our electric chair. It wasn't the final nail in the electric chair's coffin, but it helped keep things on the table, legally, as far as I'm concerned.

    My State of Florida (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by CoralGables on Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 01:05:56 AM EST
    Twenty-nine years ago when Florida re-instituted the use of capital punishment under then Governor Bob Graham, State Representative Bill Sadowski (not your average politician) passed out the following statement on the House floor in Tallahassee expressing his outrage at state sanctioned murder:


    "As a citizen of this State and on behalf of other citizens of like mind, I protest the actions of my government in resuming the institutionalized taking of human life.

    As an official of this government, I regret that this state has put itself in the position of national leadership in regard to this most questionable course of conduct. As a matter of public policy I believe it is unnecessary and unacceptable, and as a matter of morality it is grievously wrong.

    I am particularly troubled by the fact that as a citizen and as a public official I must share responsibility for these actions, which actions are offensive to me.

    Copies were returned to him with obscenities and threats written on them by fellow legislators. Bill Sadowski resigned his seat s few years later to spend more time with his family before dying in a plane crash at 48 years of age. Bill was right then, he would be right now, and my state of Florida hasn't moved one step forward towards ending this barbaric practice in the ensuing 29 years.


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    I always feel... (none / 0) (#4)
    by Alec82 on Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 02:25:59 AM EST
    ...out of the loop on this one.  Grew up in an abolitionist state (really, the first one, MI), so to me it has always been bizarre to hear people call for the death penalty.  

     I actually don't have very strong feelings on this issue.  I'm opposed, but it is not my number one priority.  

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    if you insist on doing it, (none / 0) (#3)
    by cpinva on Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 01:07:11 AM EST
    at least do it right. geez! what a bunch of clods.

    hunters carry a sidearm, in the event they don't get a clean "kill" shot with their rifle. it's used to put the prey out of its misery; it's the decent thing to do.

    the warden should be required to wear a .45, with one round chambered. if the condemned isn't dead within 15 minutes, it's his/her job to administer the coup de' gras. if they manage to screw that up, the condemned has their sentence commuted to LWOP, by statute.

    sure, it'll be messy and noisy, violent deaths oftentimes are. that's why they get paid the big bucks. in fairness to the warden, it wasn't their call, but they accepted the job knowing they might have to participate in one, so.......................

    i feel sorry for the victim's family, but if they're expecting "closure" from this, they're most likely going to be horribly disappointed. that isn't the state's job, it's their job.

    Just (none / 0) (#5)
    by Wile ECoyote on Mon Jun 30, 2008 at 06:05:04 AM EST
    hire Dr. Pou.

    Parent