Lt. Jeff Meyers points to restraints used on prisoners in the firing-squad chair at the Utah State Prison.
Douglas C. Pizac, Associated Press
Posted on 08/06/2003 8:07:48 AM PDT by bedolido
Utah's controversial firing squad may be doomed. "Essentially, we're going to discuss the repeal of the firing squad" during a meeting today of the state Sentencing Commission, says executive director Ron Gordon. Gordon has conducted a study that examines different methods of execution and the question of who decides on which method to employ — the Legislature or the condemned person.Lt. Jeff Meyers points to restraints used on prisoners in the firing-squad chair at the Utah State Prison.
A new Deseret Morning News-KSL poll found that while 45 percent of Utahns still favor the firing squad, 51 percent believe it should not continue to be an option. Still, a firm majority — 78 percent of respondents — favor the death penalty for capital crimes. The poll, conducted by Dan Jones & Associates, shows that only 17 percent oppose executions. The survey, conducted July 9-16, has a 4 percent margin of error.
Utah is one of several states giving the condemned the right to choose the method of execution. The firing-squad option, however, has drawn criticism and curiosity both here and around the world — not exactly the kind of attention some state leaders like.
That most recent attention — from the now-delayed executions of Roberto Arguelles and Troy Kell that had been scheduled for June — has prompted a study of capital punishment methods by Utah's Sentencing Commission, which will present its findings at noon today in the Matheson Courthouse. The report could change how the state carries out executions in the future.
Department of Corrections spokesman Jack Ford said that of the 50 official executions carried out in Utah's history, 40 were by firing squad, six were by hanging and four by lethal injection. The Legislature eliminated the use of hanging in 1983 in favor of lethal injection.
Utah is the only state still actively using the firing-squad method, although Idaho and Oklahoma retain it as a legal option if lethal injection is not viable. Lethal injection is the most commonly used method of execution, said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C. Each time the firing squad has been used, Utah has drawn global attention, Ford said. When John Albert Taylor was executed in 1996, hundreds of news organizations from around the world requested credentials to cover the event. Protesters descended in droves outside the Utah State Prison in Draper the night of the execution.
Gordon believes that state- and nationwide scrutiny makes it difficult for the Department of Corrections to carry out executions when ordered. He said the methods study was in part prompted by informal conversations with corrections officials.
"I think it becomes problematic for the department to carry out its mission," said Gordon. "There's always the question of if the inmate is choosing the method to cause the most controversy."
Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, believes that that is indeed what happens. For months she has been talking about carrying a bill during the next legislative session to take the choice of method away from the condemned person.
"It's a very somber and serious duty that the state is obligated to perform. (State authorities) need to make the decision on the method," Allen said. "Every time, it's too much of an invitation for a condemned person to select a method simply because he or she knows it will bring a lot of attention. Our method allows the condemned to have one final manipulation, and it's a very significant manipulation."
Allen said she is anxious to hear the Sentencing Commission's findings and is open to carrying legislation that would eliminate the firing squad. Allen couldn't muster enough support for the same proposal in the wake of Taylor's execution and dropped the idea. Dieter said that few executions draw the kind of attention that a firing squad does.
"I get inquiries more than statements. I think there is the fascination with it as something from the Old West or something from another era being resurrected. People wonder if we are changing in some way," Dieter said. "Even states that want the death penalty don't want a method that is highly controversial or revolting to the people that have to carry it out. Even for those who support the death penalty, it's not in their best interests."
Dieter agrees that when inmates are given choices about execution methods, there is a high probability that the more controversial method will be selected. For that reason, most states have moved away from inmate choice, he said.
Lt. Jeff Meyers points to restraints used on prisoners in the firing-squad chair at the Utah State Prison.
Douglas C. Pizac, Associated Press
lol... at least the tree huggers can't complain about that.
I laughed because "Environmentally Friendly" caught me as funny. No offense meant.
And they did.
! You'll be laughing tonight.
Into the modern age.............
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