States Consider Lethal Injection Alternatives

OKLAHOMA CITY — As the result of the botched lethal injection execution of Oklahoma inmate Clayton Lockett in April 2014, as well as a nationwide shortage of lethal injection drugs, some of the 32 states that practice capital punishment now are examining alternative methods.

Lockett apparently experienced a heart attack after receiving the injection, which Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections Director Robert Patton attributed to “vein failure.” The issue was compounded by the fact that officials did not have another dose in the facility.

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Connecticut Repeals Death Penalty

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut has recently become the 17th state to repeal the death penalty. Lawmakers passed the measure with an 86-62 vote in favor of repealing the death penalty in the state.

Now instead of sentencing some violent offenders to death, the state will grant life in prison without the possibility of parole. There are currently 11 inmates who sit on death row in the state, and unfortunately for them this new measure does not free them of their sentence.

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