Execution

10 Pages 2572 Words

The second chemical is pan chromonium bromide, which is a muscle relaxer. It causes the diaphragm and lungs to collapse. The third chemical actually stops the heart.” In those last few seconds, time seems to stand still. “The inmate takes in one last deep breath, as if they were trying to take in all the air they can.” And when that last breath goes, it’s described “kind of like taking a balloon and squishing that balloon and the sound that a balloon makes when you're squishing the air out of it.” Gideon describes the sound of a mother trying to catch her breath and sobbing as she watches her only son being executed. He says “its definitely something you won’t ever forget.” An interactionist would look at sequences leading up to the actual death and what each bit symbolizes.
A functionalist’s perspective on the death penalty would entail how its useful to society. For example, the death penalty creates many jobs, such as prison guards, court officials, paid testimony of expert witnesses and criminal attorneys. Another aspect would be the media. Most death penalty cases are very high profile and are a field day for journalists across the country. A capital case is great for their ratings. They also believe that in today’s society capital punishment acts as a deterrent for future capital offences, but according to the June 21,2002 issue of the Wall Street Journal; As executions rose, states without the death penalty fared much better than states with the death penalty in reducing their murder rates. The gap between the murder rate in death penalty states and the non-death penalty states grew larger. In 1990, the murder rates in these two groups were 4% apart. By 2000, the murder rate in the death penalty states was 35% higher than the rate in states without the death penalty. In 2001, the gap between non-death penalty states and states with the death penalty again grew, reaching 37%.
The pro’...