ed to hold his breath inside the chamber. When he finally began to take in fumes, his body started going into convulsions and the muscles and veins under his skin were twitching in a wave-like motion. This execution took over eight minutes to complete, and Mr. Harding was writhing in pain for most of the time. According to officials, Harding did not fall unconscious until right before his death. (Haag 262) The latest method of execution has been lethal injection. It has become deemed as the cleanest form of execution. Its thought to be the cleanest because it does not maim the body, unlike all of the other methods of execution. (Haag 267) Nonetheless, it is in the opinion of this author that this is still another unjust form of punishment. At the 1988 execution of Raymond Landry, persons at the scene had to repeatedly puncture him because he had very small veins. In addition to this cruel treatment, during the procedure, the tube attached to the needle leaked and the harsh chemicals used to kill Landry were sprayed in the direction of the witnesses. (Haag 307) Besides this case, there have been cases where the victims were not given a strong enough dosage and writhed in pain for several minutes while still conscious. In a statement to the Associated Press, many police officials who have been witnesses to the death penalty, they say it should be abolished because they are sick of having to watch it and it does not deter violent criminals from lashing out against society. (Haag 270) The belief that execution costs less than imprisonment is absolutely false. As Haag states "The cost of the apparatus and maintenance of the procedures attending the death penalty, including the actual stay on death row, and the endless appeals and legal machinery, far out-weigh the expense of maintaining in prison the tiny fraction of criminals who would otherwise be slain." (Haag 38) The strongest argument against using capital punishment for retributive p...
