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My thought was that the whole procedure of it, with the needles and the sheet and the doctors and everything was what made it "theatrical." I feel like the ordeal is a lot more honest when a bunch of people with rifles shoot somebody in the chest. Nobody gets to feel like it's anything other than a killing.

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A sentiment echoed by Federal Appeals Court judge Alex Kozinski[1].

"If we as a society want to carry out executions, we should be willing to face the fact that the state is committing a horrendous brutality on our behalf."

[1] http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-na-nn-arizona-executio...

Even the current way is just terrifying. Being strapped down and injected? I'd prefer getting loaded with something like quetiapine over the preceding week to sorta numb me out. Perhaps some opiates, too. Then fill the cell with inert gas or something.

Actually, they should give prisoners the option to self-inflict, via overdose or something.

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