One-third of Americans back second execution attempt after failure

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 18:20 · Archive

A poll found 33 per cent of Americans support a second execution attempt if the first fails, following Christa Pike's survival of two lethal injections in Tennessee.

Christa Pike, a 50-year-old convicted murderer, survived two lethal injection attempts in Nashville last month and was hospitalised unconscious with severe arm injuries. Two syringes of the barbiturate pentobarbital failed to kill her, marking Tennessee's second botched lethal injection this year. She regained consciousness five days later.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted over four days and completed on Monday examined American attitudes towards whether executions should be attempted again after a failure. One-third of respondents supported a second execution attempt. Thirty-nine per cent thought convicts should instead serve life in prison, whilst 26 per cent were unsure.

The poll shows minority support for re-executing inmates who survive, a dilemma Tennessee now faces. The findings come as courts consider whether states can make second execution attempts. The US Supreme Court recently permitted a state to schedule a second execution date following a failure. Kenneth Smith, convicted of a 1988 murder-for-hire, survived an Alabama execution attempt in 2022 when staff failed to set up intravenous lines. Alabama executed him on its second attempt in 2024 using nitrogen gas suffocation.

A slight majority of Americans—55 per cent—support the death penalty for the most serious crimes, down from 63 per cent in 2017. Thirty-one per cent oppose it, whilst 13 per cent are unsure. Most countries and 23 US states have abolished capital punishment, whilst states maintaining the death penalty have struggled to obtain execution drugs.

How it is being reported

• One in three Americans back second execution attempt after a failed one, poll findsOne-third of Americans think the government should try a second time to put a convicted criminal to death if a first execution attempt fails, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.New York Post · 20 Oct, 18:07
• Christa Pike survived two lethal injections. Now Americans have delivered their verdict on whether to try againThe four-day survey, completed on Monday, showed 39 percent of respondents thought convicts should instead serve life in prison after a failed execution, while 26 percent were unsure of the best approachIndependent World · 20 Oct, 11:35

In this story: Christa Pike · Kenneth Smith · Tennessee · Alabama · United States · Reuters/Ipsos · US Supreme Court

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