Killing #1 Flashcards
The Holocaust
Genocide during WWII by Nazi Germany
Actions: Targeted Jews as “life unworthy of life”, used death squads, ghettos, gas chambers, and medical experimentation
Outcome: Over 10 million killed, including 6 million jews
Denial: Some claim it never happened despite extensive evidence
Rwandan Genocide
Location: Rwanda, Africa
Trigger: Hutu extremists blamed Tutsi minority after the president’s assassination
Duration: 100 days
Outcome: 800,000 Tutsis killed; 2 million Hutus fled; ethnicity discussion now banned in Rwanda
Capital punishment overview
Execution after conviction by a court of law
Global: 1000 executions in 2017; the U.S ranked 8th globally
U.S trends: death penalty active in 27 states; federal executions are rare but spiked in 2020-2021
Execution methods
Lethal injection: primary method; uses barbiturates, midazolam, or a 3-drug combination
Electrocution
Formerly common, now rare due to botched attempts
Lethal Gas: Cyanide gas causes death; known for causing visible suffering
Firing squad: Rare; used for precise heart or head shots
Hanging: used historically; death caused by vertebrae dislocation or asphyxiation if done improperly.
Lethal injection details
Barbiturates: sedates the brain and stops breathing if given in high doses
pentobarbital: long-acting, also used in veterinarian euthanasia and assisted suicides
Controversy: Some drugs wear off too quickly, potentially causing pain; midazolam, for example, is criticized for inducing suffering (botched executions in Ohio and Arizona)
Botched Lethal Injections
Doyle Lee Hamm: Alabama execution was postponed after 2 1/2 hours of painful attempts to find veins
Joseph Wood: Arizona’s experimental drug combination took 2 hours, during which he gagged and chocked
Dennis Mcguire: Ohio’s lethal injection process took 20 minutes, with visible chocking and gasping
Electrocution Execution
Method: High-voltage electrical shocks to the body
Process: Initial shock of 2,300 volts for 8 seconds, repeated if death isn’t immediate
Issues: Can cause severe burn; historically replaced due to botched attempts
Rwandan Genocide Aftermath
Impact: Approximately 5 million deaths linked to subsequent conflict
Refugee Crisis: 2 million Hutus fled to DR Congo fearing revenge
Legal Changes: Discussing ethnicity is now illegal in Rwanda to prevent future conflicts
Capital punishment attitudes in the U.S
Public Opinion: support dropped from 78% in 1996 to 58% in 2018
Demographic trends: more support among men, white evangelical protestants, and republicans
Death row statistics: 3,000 inmates on death row, with decreasing numbers of executions carried out annually
