Cruel and unusual? Supply problems, botched executions renew lethal injection debate

The US is one of only a handful of countries that still carries out the death penalty on criminals. The US Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, so for many years, the preferred method of executing people in this country has been a lethal injection, delivered in the form of a cocktail of drugs. But the past decade has seen a series of high-profile botched executions due to new experimental compounds. Coupled with a supply shortage of reliable execution drugs, anti-death penalty advocates are calling for an immediate halt to the practice. Follow here for the latest news in the intensifying national debate over the morality of lethal injections and the lives of violent criminals.