In this first episode of a three-part series on lethal injection in the United States, guest hosts Steve Monacelli and Dr. Michael Phillips describe the futile quest for a “humane” form of execution, from the 1600s to the present day.  They explore how each one has turned out to be extremely violent, prompting authorities to move such “gruesome spectacles” out of public view.  Finally, they describe how the prospect of a televised execution in the electric chair led to the lethal injection protocol, pioneered by Texas in 1982.

Sources:

Corinna Barrett Lain, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection (New York: New York University Press, 2025.)

Michael Phillips and Betsy Friauf, The Purifying Knife: The Troubling History of Eugenics in Texas (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2025.) 

Austin Sarat, Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America’s Death Penalty (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014.)

In this first episode of a three-part series on lethal injection in the United States, guest hosts Steve Monacelli and Dr. Michael Phillips describe the futile quest for a &ldquo;humane&rdquo; form of execution, from the 1600s to the present day.&nbsp;&nbsp;They explore how each one has turned out to be extremely violent, prompting authorities to move such &ldquo;gruesome spectacles&rdquo; out of public view.&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally, they describe how the prospect of a televised execution in the electric chair led to the lethal injection protocol, pioneered by Texas in 1982.
Sources:
Corinna Barrett Lain, Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection&nbsp;(New York: New York University Press, 2025.)
Michael Phillips and Betsy Friauf,&nbsp;The Purifying Knife: The Troubling History of Eugenics in Texas&nbsp;(Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2025.)&nbsp;
Austin Sarat,&nbsp;Gruesome Spectacles: Botched Executions and America&rsquo;s Death Penalty&nbsp;(Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2014.)

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here started as an exploration of the possibility of a new civil war. Now a daily show, it's evolved into a chronicle of collapse as it happens, and an exploration of how we might build a better future. Every day Robert Evans, Garrison Davis, Mia Wong, and James Stout take you on a jaunty walk through the burning ruins of the old world and towards a better one that lays just on the horizon.

It Could Happen Here

The Shady Business of Lethal Injection: The Heart Stops Reluctantly

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fca96f9a-1d4f-4d5c-a093-b38a015e8aff/transcript

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