An unusual case in the United States has reignited the debate over capital punishment: Christa Pike, 50, convicted of murder, survived two attempts to execute her by lethal injection last month in Nashville, Tennessee. After the failed procedure, she was rushed to hospital unconscious, in critical condition with severe injuries to her arms. She regained consciousness after five days.
The case was the subject of a national Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday. According to the survey, 33% of Americans believe authorities should attempt to execute a prisoner who survived a previous attempt. By contrast, 39% prefer that this kind of prisoner serve life in prison instead, while 26% have not formed an opinion on the matter.
The Tennessee failure is not an isolated incident: it is the second botched execution in the state this year alone. As US states struggle to obtain the chemicals required for lethal injection, debate is growing over alternative methods of carrying out death sentences.
Despite the controversy, a majority of Americans still support the death penalty for the most serious crimes. 55% of respondents expressed support for capital punishment, down from 63% in a similar poll conducted in 2017. 31% oppose the death penalty, and 13% did not state a position or did not respond.
The debate took on an additional legal dimension after the US Supreme Court recently allowed a state to set a new date for a failed execution. Kenneth Smith, convicted of murder-for-hire, survived an execution attempt in Alabama in 2022 after prison staff failed to insert an IV line into his veins. In a second attempt in 2024, he was executed by nitrogen gas asphyxiation.
Meanwhile, a separate debate is underway in the United States over the possibility of broadcasting executions live. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently floated the idea of broadcasting the execution of Nidal Hasan, a former army officer who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas. The broadcast plan was cancelled following public and political criticism, including from members of the Republican Party, but the execution itself is scheduled for December 3.
The poll found that 46% of Americans support executing Hasan by firing squad, including 71% of Republicans and 29% of Democrats. However, 71% of respondents believe that broadcasting executions on television or the internet is inappropriate.
The poll was conducted online among 1,679 adults across the United States, with a margin of error of two percentage points.
