Alabama to Resume Executions

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Facts

  • Alabama is set to execute its first inmate since Gov. Kay Ivey paused the practice to conduct an internal review after two lethal injections were canceled due to difficulties inserting IVs. James Barber is scheduled to receive the lethal injection Thursday night.1
  • The 64-year-old Barber has been on death row for nearly two decades for the 2001 robbery and murder of 75-year-old Dorothy Epps. The felon, who knew Epps’ daughter, killed the woman with a claw hammer before fleeing with her purse.2
  • Barber has tried to appeal his death sentence, citing fears of "substantial harm" brought by a potentially botched lethal injection, but the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals denied his request. Barring a reprieve, Barber will be put to death at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility at 6 p.m. local time.3
  • Last fall, officials called off the executions of Kenneth Smith and Alan Miller after being unable to access their veins within time limits.4
  • Anti-death penalty advocates claim that a third execution was also botched and delayed, which the state disputes. Other groups have called for an independent review of its practices, which Gov. Ivey has rejected.5
  • In a last ditch effort, Barber’s attorneys asked SCOTUS to stop his execution, citing the 8th Amendment’s prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishment." Officials will have 30 hours to execute Barber, a six-hour extension from previous protocols.6

Sources: 1ABC News, 2Associated Press, 3NBC, 4CNN, 5Newsweek, and 6AL.

Narratives

  • Left narrative, as provided by The Atlantic. After multiple botched attempts to execute inmates, Alabama is looking to redeem itself by killing James Barber despite clear questions about the state’s protocols. The death penalty is a horrendous stain on America as is, but adding the horror of a potentially botched injection is appalling.
  • Right narrative, as provided by 1819 News. Capital punishment is reserved for the most heinous crimes, such as the one committed by James Barber. Gov. Ivey and Alabama authorities have conducted a thorough review of the issues that used to plague the lethal injection methods of the state and implemented the appropriate reforms. There's no reason to delay this justice.

Predictions