Tenn. should reconsider death penalty after execution delay
Perhaps it was a sign, but the last-minute reprieve for death row inmate Oscar Franklin Smith should move citizens to reconsider capital punishment in Tennessee.
Smith was set to die Thursday after 32 years on death row for a triple murder he claims he did not commit. However, an unspecified “oversight” in preparing the lethal injection cocktail persuaded Gov. Bill Lee to delay the execution.
Even if Smith is guilty of these crimes, the oversight clearly shows the state is not capable of administering the death penalty without violating the constitutional prohibition on “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Politicians that advocate for alternative methods such as firing squads are pushing for equally cruel solutions.
Opposition to death penalty comes from left and right. Here’s why
Conservative and liberal groups that oppose the death penalty have found common ground for a variety of different reasons: moral and financial, among them.
Some argue that the state has no right to murder any citizens. A grassroots, faith leader-led effort successfully stopped Franklin company FDR Safety from developing the nitrogen hypoxia protocol for Alabama’s executions.
Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty has successfully persuaded lawmakers in other states to end capital punishment.
Their rationale is that they don’t trust government to get it right, that small government and the costly death penalty with decades-long appeals do not go hand-in-hand, and that capital punishment is antithetical to a pro-life philosophy.
Capital punishment is problematic. We can do better
COVID-19 temporarily halted executions in Tennessee and the first one scheduled after the pause was for Pervis Payne, a former death row inmate from Memphis.
Although Payne had been on death row for more than 30 years, he was deemed ineligible because of his intellectual disability. He too claimed he was innocent.
Plainly, the death penalty is problematic.
Smith is spared for now, but the delay of his execution opens an opportunity to start a new conversation on what Tennessee values really are when it comes to the role of government, life and justice.
David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.