Lethal Injections: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

That lady was trying to defend the death penalty by referencing the execution of an INNOCENT MAN!?

Just wanted to point out that Judge Alex Kozinski had another interview with CBS in 2015 where the same discussion was held. He made a very effective point that has stuck with me ever since I first saw it. It went as follows: Alex Kozinski: I would eliminate the entire controversy. I would use a bullet or a series of bullets. They're fast. They're effective. Nobody ever survives. Bill Whitaker: Go back to the firing squad? Alex Kozinski: Make it look like an execution. Mutilate the body. And this would express the sense of that's what you're doing, that we're actually committing violence on another human being. Bill Whitaker: I read that you have even thought the guillotine might be a good way to execute. Alex Kozinski: Oh, yes. Bill Whitaker: Really? Alex Kozinski: The guillotine works. Never fails. It's quick. It's effective. Bill Whitaker: You do know what that sounds like, hearing a judge sort of be an advocate for the guillotine? Alex Kozinski: Tell me. Bill Whitaker: Barbaric. Alex Kozinski: The death penalty is barbaric. And I think we as a society need to come face-to-face with that. If we're not willing to face up to the cruelty, we ought not to be doing it.

What she said literally scares the shit out of me it's terrifying when people mix their political views with their religious views

Had to come back to watch this episode after the bomb he dropped tonight on 4/7/24. Over 4 years later and it's gotten worse. I appreciate the work John and his crew do to make a real impactful change in this world.

You know what, that guy at 16:16 has a point. If you're going to be in favour of the death penalty, you shouldn't suddenly get weird about the method. An injection might be more sterile/clinical for the audience, but as was discussed, it's (potentially) absolutely horrendous for the person it's applied to. Bullet(s) to the brain or decapitation is rather foolproof. What it really comes down to is that a guillotine or a firing squad reminds people to clearly of what a barbaric punishment it actually is. And they'd rather pretend it's not.

“The degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons.” ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The most lethal thing to come out of a London driving school since prince Philip” this aged well

One thing that nobody ever seems to bring up when discussing the death penalty is that the estimated wrongful conviction rate in the US is between 2-10%

"Lethal injection isn't about who they are - it's about who we are." you hit the nail on the head every time

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the wise cannot see all ends." - Gandalf to Frodo, The Fellowship of the Ring

The talk about that feeling of being unable to communicate the fact that you're still aware of what's going on hits a little close to home with me. When I got my wisdom teeth removed, I was put under general anesthesia, where they ask you to count up to 20, and before you finish you're unconscious, but the time right before I went under was awful. I couldn't move my body, but was aware of who was around me. I felt like I was floating in the air, spinning slowly and unable to breathe. My last thought was that I genuinely wasn't going to wake up. I know that that is incomparable to what lethal injections are like, but hearing about that being forced onto someone, criminal or not, just doesn't sit right with me.

I have always loved John Oliver and I shall never change. He’s brilliant and makes things funny even when they’re actually not. God love him

THE ROMANS WERE THE BAD GUYS IN THAT STORY, LYNN

I felt like one of those questions for that doctor should have just been... "Have you been involved in research?"

shaun did a really good video on the death penalty and I like the way he framed it. He framed it as "Lets assume that there are some crimes where killing someone is objectively the right thing to do, I'm not going to argue with you on that, lets just assume its true. The government still shouldn't be able to do it."

The most humane death penalty is anesthesia. Supply enough anesthesia so the prisoner passes out then keep applying it until their heart stops. Humane, works without torturing the convicted and is lethal. However no anesthesiologist would do that. For obvious reasons.

Christians forgot that the part where Jesus gets killed by the Roman Empire is supposed to be a tragedy.

That has to be the GREATEST lead-up to an ending joke I have ever seen.

It takes talent and a lot of empathy to understand how heavy this topic is and find a way to talk about it while still keeping it from getting too heavy for listeners. We need to be informed about this but its hard to listen to how horrible it is long enough to do so I applaud John Oliver and his writers for finding a way to do it.

Firing squad is easily the best method. Cost effective, quick and despite the pain of being shot, it certainly beats the torture of lethal injection.