The Medicine & Justice Project

The Medicine & Justice Project explores the intersections between healthcare and the criminal justice system, particularly focusing on the ethics, procedures, and impacts of execution methods in the U.S. It critically examines cases, laws, and practices, highlighting issues of transparency, justice, and medical integrity.

Healthcare Ethics Criminal Justice Capital Punishment Medical Transparency Legal and Ethical Implications of Execution Methods Drug Use and Policy Medical Misinformation

The hottest Substack posts of The Medicine & Justice Project

And their main takeaways

Not Like the Others, Part II: How Lethal Injection Is Nothing Like Pet Euthanasia

99 implied HN points • 24 May 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Lethal Injection Medical Procedures Ethical considerations
  1. Comparing lethal injection to pet euthanasia reveals stark differences in protocols and administration methods.
  2. The use of pentobarbital in executions faces challenges due to the lack of training for administration and issues with drug quality.
  3. American execution methods significantly differ from veterinary standards, with execution protocols often falling short of humane practices.

Not Like the Others, Part I: How Lethal Injection Is Nothing Like Assisted Suicide

79 implied HN points • 16 May 24
🏥 Health & Wellness
  1. Lethal injection and assisted suicide may involve similar drugs but have stark differences in results and procedures.
  2. The history and protocols of lethal injection and assisted suicide show significant variations in evaluation processes and drug administration.
  3. Medical expertise and care differ greatly between assisted suicide protocols and lethal injection procedures, impacting patient outcomes.

The Rare Genetic Disorder That Put Melissa Lucio on Death Row

79 implied HN points • 18 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Blood Clotting Death Penalty
  1. Melissa Lucio's case highlights concerns of wrongful convictions in the justice system.
  2. A little-known blood clotting disorder, disseminated intravascular coagulation, may have played a significant role in the case, leading to a misinterpretation of evidence.
  3. Educating jurors on complex medical conditions can be crucial in ensuring fair trials and preventing miscarriages of justice.

Why Fentanyl Doesn't Get More Use in Executions

39 implied HN points • 13 Jun 24
🏥 Health Politics Lethal Injection
  1. Fentanyl's lethality on the streets makes it a poor fit for executions due to unpredictable effects and slow deaths, contrasting with the quick and certain outcomes needed.
  2. The availability and procurement issues, along with ethical concerns, make using fentanyl in executions too hypocritical for some states to ignore, despite its potency.
  3. The challenges in lethal injections mostly stem from IV insertion problems rather than the effectiveness of the drugs, and states show little concern for humane executions despite execution method controversies.
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Lethal Injection Isn't Medicine, But It's Inherited Medical Racism

59 implied HN points • 10 May 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Inequality Anatomy
  1. Racial disparities exist in lethal injections, with Black individuals being 220% more likely to experience botched executions than white individuals.
  2. Medical myths and implicit bias contribute to unequal healthcare outcomes, but they do not fully explain the racial disparities in lethal injections.
  3. There is an opportunity for the medical community to reflect on racial inequalities and the impacts of medical racism in the context of lethal injections.

The Worst of Lethal Injection Strikes Again Today

59 implied HN points • 04 Apr 24
🏥 Health Politics Lethal Injection Ethical Concerns
  1. Oklahoma is using a lethal injection formula that is likely to result in torturous executions, despite knowing the risks.
  2. The history of modern Oklahoma executions involves inventing the lethal injection method and facing challenges with drug availability and effectiveness.
  3. Experts have raised concerns about Oklahoma's lethal injection protocol, highlighting issues with the sedative midazolam and the lack of safeguards against extreme pain during executions.

The Amount of Naloxone We're Giving Cops Is Too Damn High

59 implied HN points • 28 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics Opioid Crisis Adverse Effects Patient Outcomes Public Health
  1. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is an effective opioid overdose intervention that can be administered nasally with minimal training.
  2. Administering too much naloxone can lead to unnecessary side effects, including inducing withdrawal symptoms that can be as severe as the opioid overdose itself.
  3. Higher doses of naloxone may not necessarily improve patient outcomes and could increase the risk of adverse effects, such as flash pulmonary edema.

10 Years after Clayton Lockett's Execution: What's Changed, What Hasn't

39 implied HN points • 29 Apr 24
🏥 Health Politics Public Perception Death Penalty Criminal Justice
  1. Lethal injection's true nature was revealed through Clayton Lockett's botched execution, challenging the humane image it previously held.
  2. The public perception of lethal injection remains favorable despite numerous botched executions, highlighting a concerning gap between reality and perception.
  3. There has been a decline in support for the death penalty, with a notable shift in public opinion and legislative actions following Lockett's execution.

Death Penalty Proponents Don't Have to Like the Nazi Comparisons, But We Don't Have to Ignore Them

39 implied HN points • 26 Apr 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Death Penalty Capital Punishment Lethal Injection
  1. Comparisons between American capital punishment and Nazi state homicide are inevitable due to methods and institutional secrecy.
  2. Secrecy and deception have played a significant role in maintaining the death penalty system in the United States.
  3. Transparency efforts are slowly revealing information about lethal injection drugs and suppliers, highlighting the importance of public awareness in challenging controversial practices.

Richard Glossip: Meet the Face of America's Death Penalty Depravity

79 implied HN points • 01 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Death Penalty Supreme Court Justice System Legal system
  1. Richard Glossip's case highlights the shaky nature of some murder convictions, with his conviction based primarily on unreliable testimony and lacking physical evidence.
  2. The Supreme Court's stance on the Eighth Amendment in Glossip's case underscored a prioritization of upholding the death penalty despite concerns about potential cruelty in lethal injection procedures.
  3. Despite new revelations challenging Glossip's conviction, legal proceedings suggest that finality of judgments often outweighs potential miscarriages of justice in the context of death penalty cases.

From the Precipice, Nitrogen Asphyxiation Looks a Lot Like Lethal Injection Did

79 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🏥 Health Politics Capital Punishment Legal issues Ethics Public Health
  1. Alabama is attempting an unprecedented execution method using nitrogen asphyxiation, which has never been intentionally used to kill prisoners before
  2. Lethal injection and nitrogen asphyxiation methods for executions both originated from unlikely sources, with unexpected individuals pushing for more humane practices in capital punishment
  3. Despite opposition from medical associations and lack of certainty regarding effectiveness, nitrogen asphyxiation as an execution method is spreading among states like Alabama, Oklahoma, and Mississippi

A Brief History of Pentobarbital Executions, as Ivan Cantu and Thomas Creech's Dates Loom

59 implied HN points • 28 Feb 24
  1. Pentobarbital, a barbiturate used in lethal injections, was chosen due to convenience after the unavailability of the original surgical cocktail.
  2. The use of pentobarbital in executions has been controversial, with reports of complications such as pulmonary edema and individuals displaying signs of suffering during the process.
  3. Legal challenges against the single-drug lethal injection method have generally been unsuccessful, highlighting the difficulties in changing execution procedures.

Capital Punishment's #1 Fan Wants You to Believe Lethal Injection Controversies Are "Resolved"

19 implied HN points • 06 Jun 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Capital Punishment Lethal Injection Debate Critique Ethics
  1. One of the most vocal non-institutional proponents of capital punishment presents outdated and dishonest arguments in its defense.
  2. The bulk of Sharp's commentary on lethal injection is outdated, with his last major update in 2007, lacking current discussion on key issues like sodium thiopental and nitrogen hypoxia.
  3. Sharp's analysis is shallow, intellectually lazy, and lacks the depth necessary for discussing complex topics like lethal injections.

Alabama's Disastrous New Execution Method Is Hitting the Road Anyway

59 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Death Penalty Legal system Lawmakers Criminal Justice
  1. Alabama is moving forward with a new execution method involving nitrogen gas despite evidence showing it caused significant distress to the individual being executed.
  2. Alabama officials blamed the individual being executed for any complications, deflecting from the questionable effectiveness and humaneness of the new method.
  3. Other states like Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Ohio are considering adopting the nitrogen gas execution method, with some officials emphasizing its ease of availability and implementation.

Major Gas Suppliers Are Backing out of Executions. Will It Matter?

39 implied HN points • 20 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Capital Punishment Legal issues Justice System
  1. Major gas suppliers are refusing to provide nitrogen for executions, affecting the availability of the gas and raising concerns about the humanity of alternative execution methods.
  2. States might not be deterred by the lack of gas suppliers' support, as demonstrated by historical cases of proceeding with execution methods despite opposition.
  3. The resistance from gas suppliers sheds light on the lack of interest in ensuring humane executions and may challenge the perception that lethal injection is a humane method of capital punishment.

Florida Stands Ready to Protect Its First Responders from Nothing

59 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Justice Opioid Crisis Public Safety
  1. Incidental contact overdoses of fentanyl are highly unlikely due to low bioavailability through skin and scientific evidence.
  2. Treating the myth of fentanyl overdose by incidental contact as real can lead to harmful consequences and unnecessary expenses for first responders.
  3. The bill in Florida proposing criminal penalties for exposing first responders to fentanyl seems to address a highly improbable scenario, possibly as a political move rather than based on real safety concerns.

Robert Roberson Is Going to Die Because Courts Aren't Built for Science Questions

7 HN points • 20 Jun 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical Science Legal system Criminal Justice
  1. Courts may not be equipped to handle complex scientific questions, potentially leading to wrongful convictions or sentences.
  2. Medical diagnoses like shaken baby syndrome can evolve over time with new scientific evidence, impacting legal cases like Robert Roberson's.
  3. Challenges arise when legal systems fail to adapt to new scientific knowledge, creating obstacles for individuals seeking justice based on updated understanding.

Oxygen Isn't Magic: Expanding on My Comments in "The retconning of George Floyd"

19 implied HN points • 22 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical Procedures
  1. In a cardiac arrest, oxygen plays a crucial role in preserving neurological function, but the literature doesn't show a significant difference over ambient air.
  2. Restarting the heart in different cardiac arrest scenarios requires specific interventions like defibrillation or medications, not just oxygen.
  3. Credentials matter in medical discussions - expertise should come from qualified professionals in the field of concern, like cardiologists for cardiac arrest guidelines.

Lethal Injection Hates Sunlight

19 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legal system Drug policy Human Rights Death Penalty Prison System
  1. Lethal injection has serious problems and risks, despite court decisions claiming it to be humane when it goes as planned.
  2. Pharmaceutical companies have played a role in influencing the availability of drugs for lethal injections.
  3. States have enacted shield laws to protect the anonymity of those involved in lethal injections, raising concerns about transparency and accountability.

Missouri Doesn't Care if It Tortures an Innocent Man to Death

19 implied HN points • 27 Dec 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Death Penalty Justice System Capital Punishment
  1. Marcellus Williams faces potential execution despite evidence of innocence, showing flaws in lethal injection case law.
  2. Lethal injection, the most popular execution method, has a high rate of botched executions causing unnecessary suffering.
  3. Missouri's execution protocol lacks proper monitoring and safeguards, raising concerns about a potential inhumane death for Williams.

We're Heroes, Unless We're in the Way

0 implied HN points • 11 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Capital Punishment Ethics Legal system Mental health
  1. Frontline workers are celebrated as heroes until they become an inconvenience to the system, facing nightmares and trauma while carrying out difficult duties.
  2. The debate around capital punishment highlights broken systems that seem to prioritize the procedure over ethical considerations and medical consequences.
  3. The pressure on those involved in executions, along with the harsh expectations placed on them, points to a societal acceptance of violence and a lack of empathy for those directly involved.

Coming soon

0 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Medicine Justice
  1. A project called The Medicine & Justice Project is coming soon.
  2. The project can be accessed at medicineandjustice.substack.com.
  3. Created by Anthony Bennett, the project is anticipated for Dec 21, 2023.

The Enviable Ignorance of Tucker Carlson

0 implied HN points • 29 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Addiction Mental health Knowledge Compassion Substance Use
  1. Tucker Carlson seems to have a limited understanding of fentanyl, only knowing it comes from elsewhere and can be deadly.
  2. Challenging Carlson's claims about fentanyl overdose, the author highlights that George Floyd's case did not match typical signs of opioid overdose.
  3. The author expresses envy of Tucker Carlson's ignorance on fentanyl, as gaining knowledge in this area has been a harrowing and emotionally taxing experience.

Medics, Not Medicine, Killed Elijah McClain

0 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🏥 Health Politics Patient Care Medical Professionals
  1. Ketamine is used by medics to calm down patients with severe agitation and has less impact on breathing compared to other drugs.
  2. Two paramedics failed to properly assess a restrained and agitated patient, leading to his death despite using ketamine which could have been survivable.
  3. Public outcry following the incident led to misguided legislation banning the use of ketamine in EMS, potentially putting future patients at risk by receiving more dangerous medications.

Why Lethal Injection Has an IV Problem Epidemic

0 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Medical Procedures Treatment Options
  1. Some states have weak requirements for the medical teams conducting lethal injections, leading to IV insertion problems.
  2. Death row inmates' health conditions, like age, drug use history, and obesity, make finding suitable IV access points extremely challenging.
  3. When standard IV insertion fails in lethal injections, extreme procedures like saphenous vein cut-downs or intraosseous infusion might be considered, but come with their own risks and complexities.