2008 Woodie Awards
Local attorneys discuss capital punishment
Death penalty panel discussion stirs up opposing views
Elizabeth Robertson
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 2 next >
On Thursday, Nov. 15, attorneys John T. Walkley and John A. Connelly voiced their opinions on the death penalty in the Schine Auditorium at 7 p.m.
The department of criminal justice and the office of career development sponsored a panel discussion that weighed both the pros and cons of capital punishment.
First to speak was Walkley, a criminal defense attorney, with the distinction of having tried the most capital cases in private practice.
"The death penalty is immoral. It is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency," said Walkley.
Much of Walkley's argument was centered around the ideas that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, it is irreversible, and a large amount of the American population is opposed to it.
In Connecticut the death penalty is employed with lethal injection.
Those being executed are given a "cocktail" of three injections, each with a different purpose.
"The first is sodium pentothal which makes him unconscious, this is followed by pancuronium bromide that paralyzes him, and potassium chloride that stops his heart," said Walkley.
There have been cases where lethal injection have not been immediately effective, in some instances taking up to half an hour for a successful execution.
Matthew Clark was executed in Florida and actually had two doses of the drugs, Walkley said.
"After being given the drugs and laying on the table for some time, Matthew raised his head to announce it was not working," said Walkley.
Once an inmate is executed it is irreversible. "There are no do overs," said Walkley.
"One recent New Jersey study shows 115 inmates were released from death row."
There is the danger that an innocent man could be executed for a crime he did not commit.
Walkley used statistics from a survey by Quinnipiac University, which showed that 63 percent of those in Connecticut were in favor of the death penalty.
He said that people do not necessarily want these criminals to die; they simply do not want them to be released back into the public.
The department of criminal justice and the office of career development sponsored a panel discussion that weighed both the pros and cons of capital punishment.
First to speak was Walkley, a criminal defense attorney, with the distinction of having tried the most capital cases in private practice.
"The death penalty is immoral. It is inconsistent with evolving standards of decency," said Walkley.
Much of Walkley's argument was centered around the ideas that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, it is irreversible, and a large amount of the American population is opposed to it.
In Connecticut the death penalty is employed with lethal injection.
Those being executed are given a "cocktail" of three injections, each with a different purpose.
"The first is sodium pentothal which makes him unconscious, this is followed by pancuronium bromide that paralyzes him, and potassium chloride that stops his heart," said Walkley.
There have been cases where lethal injection have not been immediately effective, in some instances taking up to half an hour for a successful execution.
Matthew Clark was executed in Florida and actually had two doses of the drugs, Walkley said.
"After being given the drugs and laying on the table for some time, Matthew raised his head to announce it was not working," said Walkley.
Once an inmate is executed it is irreversible. "There are no do overs," said Walkley.
"One recent New Jersey study shows 115 inmates were released from death row."
There is the danger that an innocent man could be executed for a crime he did not commit.
Walkley used statistics from a survey by Quinnipiac University, which showed that 63 percent of those in Connecticut were in favor of the death penalty.
He said that people do not necessarily want these criminals to die; they simply do not want them to be released back into the public.
Be the first to comment on this story