Why Executions Happen at Midnight



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送交者: 4U4luC2 于 2005-12-15, 16:10:05:

I think that someone asked this question a while ago.


Capital punishment and the witching hour.
By Andy Bowers
Posted Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2005, at 1:49 PM ET

Stanley "Tookie" Williams, a founder of the Crips street gang and a convicted murderer, was executed last night by lethal injection in California's San Quentin prison. The execution was scheduled for 12:01 a.m., but media witnesses said it took medical technicians 12 minutes to find a vein on Williams' arm. He was pronounced dead at 12:35 a.m. PT. Why are executions frequently scheduled for 12:01?

Mainly because a death warrant is often good for just one day. According to the California Department of Corrections, if the execution is not carried out during that 24-hour period, the state must re-petition the court for another death warrant. Scheduling the execution for 12:01 a.m. gives the state as much time as possible to deal with last-minute legal appeals and temporary stays, which have a way of eating up time.

Another advantage is that the rest of the inmates are locked down and, presumably, asleep. That minimizes the threat of unrest at the appointed hour. The prison was also on a "modified lockdown" during the day on Monday to free up staff for Williams' execution.




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