Why Inmates Are Worried about the Electric Chair for Different Reasons than You Think
There has been much news coverage of a case before the Tennessee Supreme Court involving 34 inmates challenging Tennessee’s death penalty proceedings. The Court though is not hearing a case about whether or not the death penalty is legal or fair or just; rather, the Court will decide if death row inmates have the right to challenge the use of the electric chair in their sentences if the State is no longer able use lethal injection drugs, which currently is the primary form of capital punishment in Tennessee.
The plaintiffs’ main challenge, as reported by WBIR.com, is that “the state does not keep the lethal injection drug in stock and has no legal way of obtaining the drug. Therefore… it is logical to assume someone will be scheduled to die in the electric chair” instead of through lethal injection.
Furthermore, there seems to be no process in place for informing the inmates about which form of punishment will be carried out. Justice Cornelia A. Clark reportedly said, “The state has a protocol for lethal injection. The state has a protocol for electrocution. There’s a big hole in the middle. [The State] has provided nothing in writing that says how that happens, how long before a scheduled execution must notice be given.”
The death penalty in Tennessee
Our State has condemned the guilty to death for two hundred years. Until about 100 years ago, guilty prisoners were hanged. Now the method of choice involves a lethal injection of pentobarbital, a barbiturate used in physician-assisted suicides.
According to the state’s website, 68 people currently are on death row in Tennessee. Donald Strouth, who died of natural causes on May 13th, sat on death row for 37 years. According to the figures provided by the State, death penalty cases cost more to prosecute, and it costs just over $24,000 each year to keep a person in prison in Tennessee.
We will be following this case closely. We invite you to check back here for updates. If you have questions about capital crimes in Tennessee, or if you are in need of a Nashville criminal defense lawyer, please contact the Law Office of Perry A. Craft, PLLC for more information.
Perry A. Craft has dedicated his life to helping people in need. He has tried, settled, or resolved numerous civil and criminal cases in State and Federal courts, and has represented teachers and administrators before school boards, administrative judges, and the state Board of Education. Learn more about Attorney Craft.