It Could Happen Here The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: The Heart Stops Reluctantly
Nov 4, 2025
Corinna Barrett Lain, a law professor and author of Secrets of the Killing State, dives into the dark history of lethal injection. She reveals how Texas pioneered this method in 1982, aiming to appear humane yet often resulting in botched executions. The conversation covers the gruesome evolution of execution methods, with insights into failed alternatives like the gas chamber and electric chair. Lain highlights the scientific flaws in the three-drug cocktail protocol, sparking questions about the ethics and effectiveness of capital punishment today.
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Lethal Injection Conceals State Violence
- Lethal injection's main effect is hiding the violence of state killing rather than making it humane.
- Corinna Barrett Lain argues the method conceals suffering and bureaucratic brutality from public view.
Victim Urged Mercy For Attacker
- Ray Spuyon, a Texas victim blinded in one eye, campaigned for clemency for his attacker and opposed the execution in his name.
- His plea highlighted victims' families sometimes rejecting the state's push for executions.
Secrecy Shields The Death Penalty
- Moving executions out of public view reduced public awareness of the brutality and thwarted abolitionist strategies.
- Secrecy transformed executions into state rituals shielded from democratic scrutiny.
