DEATH WATCH OK'D IN CALIFORNIA

By: Joel Davis Media, Public Get Access To Lethal Injection Procedures



U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that the California media
and public can witness the entire lethal injection execution process
of condemned inmates.



The judge's injunction requires California's Department of Corrections
to allow witnesses to watch from the time the injection apparatus is
attached to the inmate until a physician pronounces death.



Prison officials had exaggerated security concerns when they blocked
witnesses from seeing the execution preparations, the judge ruled.
Media-rights groups had complained the restricted viewing was
tantamount to seeing a "virtual corpse.''



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Joel Davis (jdavis@editorandpublisher.com) is West Coast editor for
E&P.









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