Secrets of the Killing State: How the Truth of Lethal Injection Could End the Death Penalty w/Corinna Lain

Jun 13

Today, Hunter spoke with Law Professor Corinna Lain to discuss her career of research around the death penalty and lethal injection. While it may seem strange to hyper focus on lethal injection, there is something to be said about understanding how and why lethal injection became the defacto method for state sanctioned murder. When lethal injection was offered to the American people, it was designed to do one simple thing: hide the reality of state sponsored murder. So long as people could look away from the violence of the state, they could place execution out of mind. In doing so, the practice could continue in relative secrecy. Today’s episode is about lifting the shroud on that secrecy to examine the way the lethal injection is just as, if not more, violent, cruel, and unusual and any other form of execution.

Guests:

Corrina Lain, SD Roberts and Sandra Moore Professor of Law, Richmond School of Law

Resources:

Can Europe end the Death Penalty? https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/02/can-europe-end-the-death-penalty-in-america/283790/

US Botched Executions

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/botched-executions

Execution of Clayton Lockett

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/13/botched-oklahoma-execution-clayton-lockett-bloody-mess

Corinna Lain Faculty Page

https://law.richmond.edu/faculty/clain/

Contact Hunter Parnell:

Publicdefenseless@gmail.com