The second-ever nitrogen gas execution occurred on September 25 in Alabama. Alan Eugene Miller, who had been on death row since 1999 after committing three cases of murder, was executed in what officials call a painless way of death by paralyzing the subject and gradually depriving the body of oxygen. Yet, there is no particular scientific data to prove that the method of execution is indeed as painless as it sounds and, according to reports, Kenneth Smith, the first person to be executed by nitrogen gas, was seen shaking and writhing for at least two minutes before passing away. This led many to question whether it is possible to create a painless death, and whether criminals should be punished with the death penalty due to its cruelty. However, in the long run, nitrogen hypoxia has the potential to resolve all of these ethical problems by reducing the crime rate and ensuring fairness to both the victim and the convict at the same time.
Many people believe that the flaws with the death penalty make this practice extremely ineffective and even inapplicable in our society. For instance, some people believe that death penalties would be extremely inhumane when considering the mental pain that death row inmates have to go through before their execution, and others even believed that the death penalty would accidentally sentence innocent people to death.
First, it is crucial to understand that a degree of cruelty in practice is the reason why the death penalty ensures social order. According to Steve Marshall, Attorney General of Alabama and a prominent advocate of nitrogen hypoxia, “We are finally starting to see these cases move faster.” Due to the convenience of the death penalty, Marshall believes that with the help of nitrogen hypoxia, families of victims don’t have to “wait for decades until justice is served.” Many argue that the inhumane existence of the death penalty has caused many delays on death row, driving criminals to wait for years until justice is served and live in fear. Yet, as Marshall had mentioned, incorporating nitrogen hypoxia could be helpful as it not only reduces trauma and fear from inmates but importantly speeds up the process of each case, allowing more inmates to receive the punishments that they deserve.
Undoubtedly, the death penalty is potentially cruel from a moral perspective and many people argue that taking away someone’s life is a form of revenge rather than justice. However, is it fair for the victims to die innocently while the murderer simply receives a life sentence? Here, it is critical to note that besides the death penalty, a life sentence itself is also a form of retribution. The death sentence deprives an inmate of the right to live while the other deprives them of the ability to engage in society. Yet, the ultimate goal in our community is to deter crime and the effect of laws on social order matters first as we should prioritize our attention towards maintaining a healthy community rather than considering whether to end the life of one who took away countless lives of many.
Also, according to the statistics of many developed countries, the crime rate is significantly smaller in nations that exercise death penalties. For instance, the U.S., which only incorporates the death penalty in 27 states, has an intentional homicide rate of 4.7, which is about four times as much as China, which fully incorporated the death penalty, with a rate of 1.12 percent. Another similar comparison would be between the UK and China, with China having half the homicide index as the UK and implementing strict gun bans.
By incorporating the method of nitrogen hypoxia, we are essentially combining both the social effect of the death penalty and the mental effect of life sentences simultaneously. Nitrogen hypoxia is an effective way to deter homicide rate by establishing fear but also a more tolerant way for death row inmates mentally. Scientists have seen a decrease in resistance from the death row inmates who died of nitrogen hypoxia, possibly suggesting that this practice is becoming more effective and less painful to one’s body and mind. Also, as our technology improves, this practice could gradually become more effective, allowing punishments to be exercised in the most humane way possible. Still, to those who believed that people might be wrongfully convicted, the progression of technology and forensics will allow people to see the truth more easily.
The death penalty could potentially be a useful tool in our society if used appropriately. Utilizing nitrogen hypoxia would make the criminal justice system more fair to every victim and convict. For high schoolers, having a fair punishment system serves as a warning to all of us to be mindful of our actions both on and off campus, building a peaceful and friendlier community.
