At least two executions are scheduled in America this week. One in Texas and one in Utah.
In Utah, they're planning to execute Mr. Ronnie Lee Gardner by firing squad. Yes, you read that correctly, firing squad. CNN tells us that "the marksmen fire from a distance of 25 feet. The inmate is blindfolded and strapped to a chair with a target pinned to his chest." Scarily, Mr. Gardner would not be the first to be executed in Utah using this method. Read the story here. As it stands, Utah courts have said that Mr. Gardner is too late with his appeals and have refused to commune his sentence. His last hopes now remain with the Supreme Court.
In Texas, Mr. David Powell is set for execution by lethal ejection today, June 15th. He has been on death row since 1978 for murdering a police officer at a traffic stop. (Info from here). Since 1978 he has been sentenced to death THREE different times (due to appeals, remands, and overturning of sentences). His latest appeals have highlighted how Mr. Powell has been a "model prisoner" on death row and that he is no longer a threat to society. News reports (of varying different tones) can be found in the Dallas Morning News and the Austin American Statesman. For Mr. Powell as well, the Supreme Court is his last hope.
As I often ask myself, I think we must all ask now "are these pictures and stories of a system that works?"
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