Deborah Denno was quoted in an article that examines why the firing squad might be a better method of execution than lethal injection.
The firing squad also has the advantage of being carried out by trained professionals, says Deborah Denno, a professor of law at Fordham University. Lethal injection, despite the fact that it was designed to mimic anesthesia, has been hamstrung by the fact that most physicians refuse to participate in executions. This leaves prison staff to perform a series of procedures that require professional medical skill. Firing squads, on the other hand, use professional marksmen. “For better or for worse, we have a lot of people in this country who are very good at firing a gun,” Denno said. But although the marksmen who carried out the firing squad execution in 2010 were chosen from a pool of volunteers, Novak noted that those who pull the trigger might still suffer from a form of post-traumatic stress. Vietnam recently abandoned the firing squad in favor of lethal injection, in part because of the distress experienced by the shooters.
