Alabama settles with inmate after botched execution attempt

By Jon Herskovitz

 

FILE PHOTO: Death row inmate Doyle Hamm appears in a booking photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections, February 23, 2018. Alabama Department of Corrections/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

 

 

 

(Reuters) - Alabama has reached a settlement with an inmate suffering from terminal cancer and severely compromised veins who survived an execution attempt last month when a lethal injection had to be aborted, according to court documents.

 

The agreement was reached in a civil lawsuit brought by convicted murderer Doyle Hamm against the state, court papers filed on Monday showed. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

 

Officials from the Alabama Department of Corrections and the attorney general's office have not responded to numerous requests to discuss the case.

 

Hamm's lawsuit had sought to remove him from death row and said another attempt to execute him would be unlawful.

 

Columbia Law School Professor Bernard Harcourt, a lawyer for Hamm, would not comment on details of the agreement.

 

The botched execution prompted a federal court review of Alabama's death chamber protocols. It came after flawed executions in Oklahoma and Arizona led to those states putting capital punishment on hold while new procedures were drawn up.

 

On Feb. 22, two teams of death chamber medical personnel tried for about 2-1/2 hours to place an intravenous line in Hamm's groin area and in an area between his knees and feet, a medical report filed in court showed. After the execution attempt, Hamm had at least 12 puncture wounds.

 

"What resulted was a prolonged, exceedingly painful, bloody, and botched attempt to execute Doyle Hamm through his lower extremities and right groin," the court papers said.

 

Hamm's lawyers had tried for months to halt the execution, arguing in court filings that as a result of his cancer, cancer treatment, and medical history, any attempt to place an IV line for a lethal injection would likely fail and could violate a constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment.

 

Alabama had said in court filings that it could manage the procedure.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-28

Cruel and unusual punishment...BAD.

Death...OK. 

 

I wonder how many victims suffered from cruel and unusual punishment. Did they even have a choice? 

Troll post reported and removed. 

Why are these procedures  sooooooo expensive and debatable

The Frenchs got it right during the French Revolution 

It was cheap, and efficient

Edited March 28, 20188 yr by dudopode

On 28/3/2561 at 6:01 AM, webfact said:

Hamm's lawsuit had sought to remove him from death row and said another attempt to execute him would be unlawful.

I believe the final words of a death sentence are..."Until dead..." so the number of attempts are not relevant. I don't understand why they can use a hammer-shot bullet on a cow but not on a murderous monster. Use a hollow-point, cross cut 50 caliber right between the eyes. No suffering and by taking out a 6" section of the back of his skull upon exiting, not much chance of a botched attempt. 

I remember reading somewhere years ago about someone who lived through the electric chair and I believe that the case went to the Supreme Court on the basis that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to try it again.   The SC said it wasn't and the person was subsequently executed.   Perhaps one of our members knows more about that case.

44 minutes ago, Scott said:

I remember reading somewhere years ago about someone who lived through the electric chair and I believe that the case went to the Supreme Court on the basis that it would be cruel and unusual punishment to try it again.   The SC said it wasn't and the person was subsequently executed.   Perhaps one of our members knows more about that case.

 

Louisiana ex rel. Francis v. Resweber

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_ex_rel._Francis_v._Resweber