That's the title of an AP report in today's Arizona Republic. Here are extended excerpts. For those following lethal injection developments it's a must-read.
The department that executes Arizona's death-row inmates in Florence has loosened requirements for those who inject the lethal drugs, drawing concern from a defense attorney who says his repeated questions over new procedures aren't being answered.
In its new protocol to conduct executions, the Arizona Department of Corrections removed a requirement that everyone on the execution team needs to have at least one year of current experience with starting intravenous lines. Now, those on the team don't need to have recent experience, just experience -- meaning someone who started IV lines 20 years ago would be eligible to conduct executions for the department.
Without knowing the qualifications of those conducting the executions and with other unanswered questions about procedures, defense attorneys say death row inmates' constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment are at risk.
Corrections Director Charles Ryan declined to speak to The Associated Press through department spokesman Bill Lamoreaux, who said for the first time Monday that an execution team was in place for upcoming executions on Feb. 29 and March 8.
He declined to release any other details about the team members, referring to a state law that protects the identities of those who conduct executions.
Lamoreaux said the department hasn't lowered standards in the new protocol and changed it "to simplify and clarify some of the language in the instructions."
Ty Alper, associate director of the Death Penalty Clinic at the University of California-Berkeley, said many states adhere to a veiled process on executing inmates.
"There's been a real lack of accountability and transparency in the way states kill people, and it's something that more and more courts are refusing to allow when you sort of peel back the veil and look at what's happening," he said. "The more state officials trying to keep things secret, the more there usually is to discover if you somehow lift the veil."
And:
Attorney Dale Baich, who represents the inmate set for execution in March, provided The Associated Press with a copy of a letter he sent to the corrections department on Friday renewing dozens of questions that he included in an earlier letter about the qualifications of those on the execution team and what drugs would be used.
In response to Baich's earlier seven-page letter, sent Jan. 18, Ryan responded with a two-sentence letter on Thursday saying that he had received Baich's letter and referring him to the department's execution protocol posted online.
Baich said Monday that Ryan's response was inadequate and falls far short of answering any of his questions.
"This new protocol raises more questions than it answers," Baich said. "And it introduces more uncertainty into the process and makes it less transparent ... These are serious questions that we asked, and our client is entitled to know the answers."
He also criticized the department's unannounced changing of the execution protocol, saying that it's the seventh time in four years that has happened.
Earlier coverage of Arizona lethal injection issues begins at the link.
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