Mariah Cain, Staff Writer
Alabama is preparing to become the first state to use nitrogen gas as a method of execution. The inmate, Kenneth Eugene Smith, survived the state’s first attempt at executing him by lethal injection where he spent four hours strapped down to a gurney.
The state has claimed that after a facepiece is placed over Smith’s face, the nitrogen gas will cause unconsciousness quickly. There has been human rights criticism against this decision, with activists charging that Alabama is experimenting and using Smith as a test subject.
