The Execution of Joseph Clark began at 10:00 AM, May 2, 2006 and ended 86 minutes later.

We closed our Issue Paper on the Death Penalty with words from Coretta Scott King: "An evil deed is not redeemed by an evil deed of retaliation." She easily could have been referring to the execution by the State of Ohio of Joseph Clark at 11:26 AM, May 2, 2006. The almost 90 minute process of putting Clark to death was barbaric. As Reuters reported:

“ Spokeswoman Andrea Dean said the execution was delayed about 90 minutes because technicians had trouble initially finding a site in Clark's arm for the intravenous line carrying the chemicals.

Then shortly after the poisons were supposed to have been pumping into his body, she said, he sat up saying, "It's not working. It's not working."

Officials determined that a vein had collapsed. Curtains were closed to block witnesses' view until technicians found a vein in his other arm. They were then parted to reveal him dying, witnesses said.”

Let’s be clear, Joseph Clark’s execution was not “delayed” for an hour and a half, it took his executioners an agonizing one and a half hours to kill him. In recent months death by lethal injection has been exposed as causing enormous potential pain prior to loss of consciousness. Federal court hearings examining the constitutionality of California’s three drug execution cocktail have been, just days ago, delayed until September almost guaranteeing no more executions will occur in that state this year. Many other states and judicial bodies are reexamining methods of execution, effectively putting on hold some deaths in the near future.

Death by lethal injection is immoral, inhumane and cruel and unusual punishment, but many of our colleagues correctly point out that our struggle is to end this taking of life not to support perhaps less odious methods.

We may agree, but today May 2, 2006 at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, we stood witness to a brutal killing that must be addressed.