And that’s exactly what Ronnie Lee Gardner done.
His answers surprised everyone it seems. As Gardner was shackled at his ankles and wrists he sat in court and said
"I would like the firing squad, please,"
In Utah apparently it was still on the books to allow the prisoners to elect which method of death will be used for their own execution.
Utah was the first state to execute a killer after the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
Utah is the only state with a firing squad as an option for death row inmates.
Utah executed John Albert Taylor in 1996 by firing squad and Taylor’s selection in the firing squad was to embarrass the state.
Even though the firing squad was been brought up by Utah law makers, in 2004 there were several that supported keeping the firing squad as a method of death for Utah.
Some claim it was a law from the old west and was never removed from the books and I think now they said they have removed it, but it does not apply to the death row inmates already on death row. Several news reports have said there are several more inmates that have the option of dying by firing squad.
Gardner chose the firing squad in 1985 for his convictions then. But in 1990 and 1996 when death warrants were issued for Gardner he chose lethal injection. Sadly those execution dates were stayed through appeals.
But you got to love the attorneys they are right there in the media as well claiming that after 25 years of litigation amounted to unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment and that Gardner’s rights were violated in 1985 since the state did not pay for experts to testify about his abusive childhood and the alleged brain damage he suffered as a child.
Here we go again, I was beat as a child so I have to commit crimes and murder people and it’s my parents fault.
Anyway, the judge denied the request of Gardner’s attorneys. Apparently there is one more step he can take to appeal the execution but for the most part Gardner has exhausted all of his appeals and steps he can take to overturn this execution.
I say if he wants to die by firing squad, so be it. It’s his life and if he has to die he should have the right to chose how he will die.
Personally I think they should bring back public executions. Let the criminals see that going to prison is not something to take lightly. Let’s bring back the public hangings.
What am I saying, how could I be so cruel and unusual in my thoughts. How could we be so mean to a convicted murderer, child rapist or just an evil person? So evil that the courts elected to put the person to death as a result of their crimes.
People think there current approach is working and yet criminals laugh at going to jail and or prison. Sadly some of these people have a better life in prison than on the streets.
I will never understand why inmates are treated in the manor they are. When I worked in a jail, there were so many regulations that it was even determined that inmates had to have 3 light square feet of personal space. How do you measure 3 square feet of personal space, well for our jail it cut the population in half. Not that it really made a difference; we were over crowded all the time according to the state. But the regulations were there to protect the inmates in every aspect of their life in prison.
I say go back to bread and water, labor chain gangs and make them work to repay their debt to society.
2 comments:
Yes, on jails. Go, Sheriff Arpaio!
No on the death penalty. It is far too costly. Here's a recent article:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/27/just-cost-death-penalty-killer-state-budgets/
Cut and paste if it doesn't link right.
I read the article
And I still think any murderer should be put to death.
And as long as 70-80 percent of the people agree with the death penalty it really does not matter what opinion a few people have.
The cost of a death penalty trial may be a little more, but not that much more than a regular trial.
They both cover the same aspects of the crime, have the experts, crime scene techs and who done it and the guilty or innocent verdict beyond a reasonable doubt.
The problem with the system is we have allowed attorneys to play games in court and increase cost of trial. Attorneys have dragged cases out over years and we the tax payer get to deal with that expense. Its it really worth it?
And they think that putting them to death cost more, I cannot see it.
It will cost the tax payers millions to keep them for life and the cost of a 3 cocktail medication mix will only cost a few hundred dollars…
If criminals have no regard to another human life, why would anyone even want that person alive?
So maybe he can get out of prison and murder you or a family member?
Or do we keep them alive so they can murder again in the prison system and once again a person will lose a life.
And as recent studies have shown the criminal enterprise in prison is a booming business right now there will be a post about the Mexican Drug Cartel contracting out its dirty work to prisoners in the USA prison system.
So do we keep them alive so they can participate in other illegal activities?
Which a lot of them with a life term participates in since there is really nothing more the system can do to them.
If people have no respect for human life, why should I show any respect for them
Put them all to death and save billions of dollars a year.
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