RESPONSE TO THE FINAL REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF LETHAL INJECTION

Tallahassee Citizens Against the Death Penalty
Contact:  Walter Moore, Chair
(850) 877-1609;  wl_moore@comcast.net
RESPONSE TO THE FINAL REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR’S COMMISSION ON THE               ADMINISTRATION OF LETHAL INJECTION

The more information our citizens have about the actual administration of the death penalty, the less comfortable they will be with capital punishment as public policy.  Because we believe that,  we welcome the work of the Governor’s Commission on the Administration of Lethal Injection, and we commend former Governor Bush for directing that the Commission be established.  Their open hearings and their published report have shed a bright light on the methods and protocols of lethal injection as it has been practiced in Florida. 

This week’s report on the circumstances surrounding the execution of Angel Nieves Diaz provides chilling evidence that much can go wrong in the administration of lethal injection.  The Commission found both that this execution reflected a failure to follow the established protocols and that the protocols themselves are inadequate and unreliable.   Indeed, the Commission was unable to conclude that Mr. Diaz was not subjected to cruel and unusual punishment during his execution.  We fully agree with the statement of the American Civil Liberties Union that “the main lesson of these hearings and the flawed execution that led to the commission’s creation is that developing a lethal injection protocol requires scientific and medical expertise as well as careful and open deliberation.”

Quite apart from considering other flaws in the administration of the death penalty, the work of the Governor’s Commission demonstrates that the issue of lethal injection alone calls for much more examination than it has received to this time.  For all Floridians, this report raises anew the question whether, and why, we should retain capital punishment as public policy.

This is no time for hasty governmental action.  We appeal to Governor Crist not to consider signing another death warrant until all issues surrounding the administration of lethal injection have received a thorough examination.

Florida’s citizens are watching.  Officials in other states, struggling with the same issues, are watching.  The world is watching.