State plans to carry out first judicial killing in 15 years on Tuesday using technique critics call inhumane

Summary

Louisiana is set to execute Jessie Hoffman by nitrogen gas on Tuesday, becoming the second state to use this method despite banning it for euthanizing cats and dogs under state law.

Lawyers argue the method constitutes cruel punishment, citing four recent Alabama executions where prisoners showed distress signs including violent shaking and convulsions.

Louisiana veterinarian Lee Capone, who helped ban animal gassing in the state, called Hoffman’s planned execution “horrific.”

A federal judge’s temporary stay was overturned Friday by the fifth circuit court. Three major nitrogen manufacturers have blocked their products from being used in executions.

  • Th4tGuyII@fedia.io
    45·
    2 days ago

    In theory Nitrogen suffocation should be incredibly humane. Nitrogen gas is incredibly dangerous in the workplace exactly because the human body is incapable of noticing it displacing air. It can kill you without you even noticing until you keel over dead.

    Problem is when you shove a mask on someone’s face and pump nitrogen into it, that’s not what you’re doing…

    That doesn’t displace the air the executed was breathing, because the air has nowhere to go, so it just mixes with the Nitrogen gas. The O2 gets used up and CO2 builds up until they die, which is basically normal suffocation (which is incredibly inhumane) with a side of Nitrogen gas.

    To do it properly, you’d need to a much bigger chamber so that the air in the executed’s lungs would be easily displaced, or a way to filter the CO2 out of the air they’re breathing… But who’s got time for that, when you can just torture prisoners with something that should be humane and pretend you have no idea why it “doesn’t work properly” /s

    • Azal@pawb.social
      8·
      1 day ago

      Dunno, a non-rebreather mask would would work as it doesn’t let you inhale the exhaled air. So a 100% nitrogen flow through it would be on the more painless methods.

      Of course, those who want the death penalty don’t want painless so…

    • empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      22·
      1 day ago

      To do it properly, you’d need to a much bigger chamber so that the air in the executed’s lungs would be easily displaced, or a way to filter the CO2 out of the air they’re breathing

      You don’t even need any of that, you just need a positive pressure, constant circulation mask that vents a continuous stream of nitrogen, so that any exhaled co2 is immediately flushed out and replaced by nitrogen. But of course nobody on this side of the “just ice” system gives a shit about “improving” such a process.

      • tinwhiskers@lemmy.worldEnglish
        5·
        1 day ago

        You don’t even need that. Just a decent dust mask that seals over your mouth and nose that has an exhalation port on it, with the nitrogen inlet fitted in place of the dust cartridge. You need a dust mask that has a one way flapper valve over the inlet, which most do. Here’s an experiment I did as an emergency fresh air kit: Fill a large wheelie bin garbage bag with air and duct tape it closed over a 1 inch pipe. Attach the pipe in place of the dust cartridge with duct tape. Put the mask on and breath normally. The bag will deflate over about 15 minutes or so, depending on the size. I noticed no breathing distress like I was getting co2 buildup. If you fill the bag with nitrogen instead of air you have a death machine for $15 in parts. 15 minutes is plenty of time.