Scott Langley has dedicated the last 26 years of his life to abolish the death penalty in the U.S., whether it鈥檚 his or through his work with , the organization he co-founded.
He thinks abolishing the death penalty in America is long overdue.
鈥淭here's a worldwide trend away from the death penalty and away from executions,鈥� Langley said, 鈥渁nd the United States is not following that trend.鈥�
Langley鈥檚 activism brought him to 海角换妻 in early February. He in support of a bill that would prohibit state-based companies from selling drugs and equipment used in executions. Those materials haven鈥檛 been used in-state , when 海角换妻 outlawed the death penalty. aims to close what activists call a troubling loophole that allows local businesses to profit from enabling capital punishment in other states.
A mother鈥檚 plea
Langley was joined at the state capitol by , whose son was executed with a drug linked to a 海角换妻 company.
鈥淚 realized that I was witnessing the state-sanctioned, premeditated murder of my son,鈥� she said during the hearing. 鈥淚 am grateful to 海角换妻 for banning the death penalty, but it is deeply troubling to me that 海角换妻 companies are still profiting from it.鈥�
Langley said Brown鈥檚 voice was vital to the discussion because it highlights the human toll of executions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to hear that voice, to know that this is a human issue,鈥� he told 海角换妻. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just talking about monsters or people who aren鈥檛 worthy of life. We鈥檙e talking about this whole process affecting a number of people and especially the family of the death row prisoners themselves.鈥�
Death penalty drugs hard to get
Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture drugs used in lethal injections , citing ethical concerns. This occurs despite certain states having enacted to protect the identities of drug suppliers. This has forced some states to turn to lesser-known, non-FDA approved suppliers of death penalty drugs and equipment.
One such company has been Hamden-based Absolute Standards. In a 2023 episode of HBO鈥檚 Oliver criticized the company for supplying drugs used in lethal injections in other states. providing those products to prisons.
Botched executions
Critics argue the practice of to get lethal injection drugs has led to a preponderance of 鈥渂otched鈥� executions in which the condemned person suffers before dying. Langley said the chance of poorer-quality drugs is no reason for his organization to stop pushing for companies to get out of the execution supply business.
鈥淲e can talk forever about what is more humane and the better way to do it, but the fact is, the death penalty is wrong and executions are wrong and we just need to stop it however we can,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f that means getting pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of various apparatus to stop selling that equipment or those drugs to states and governments, then that鈥檚 a tangible thing that we can ask and achieve.鈥�
Langley believed that testimony like Brown鈥檚 is more likely to turn people against the death penalty than it is to turn people against his efforts to stop FDA-approved companies from producing execution drugs that actually work.
鈥淒oing things like exposing the actual reality of what happens during executions does have great effect on public opinion,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the hope of exposing the system 鈥� to get people to really see that human face and the reality of what happens.鈥�
States turning to alternatives to lethal injection
As lethal injection drugs become harder to obtain, , including firing squads and nitrogen gas.
Some companies manufacture products with non-lethal uses that can also be repurposed for these alternative method executions. For example, a 海角换妻-based company, produces respiratory masks that can be used in industrial settings but have also been converted into execution gas masks. Senate Bill 430 would prohibit the sale of such products for use in capital punishment.
Pushback and next steps
Critics of Senate Bill 430 argue that it could place unnecessary restrictions on businesses.
It would also be difficult to implement, said Bryan Cafferelli, commissioner of the state Department of Consumer Protection.
鈥淭he department regulates pharmaceutical drugs through the supply chain,鈥� Cafferelli said in submitted testimony to lawmakers. 鈥淭his bill would require us to dedicate additional resources not presently allocated to our agency to operationalize oversight and regulation of the end use of drugs with multiple uses.鈥�
But Langley says the impact on companies would be minimal.
鈥淥ne of the pushbacks we heard during the committee hearing was a fear that this bill would require companies to stop producing a product entirely, and that鈥檚 not at all what the bill is about,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 specifically about eliminating the use of the drug or apparatus in executions. Really, the things that we鈥檙e talking about 鈥� the drugs, the gas masks 鈥� are such a small fraction of the company鈥檚 bottom line. From a business perspective, it has minimal impact. From a human rights perspective, it has a huge impact.鈥�
Even if the bill passes, Langley says the work is far from over.
鈥淲e just saw in March. Louisiana hasn鈥檛 had any executions in the last 15 years. South Carolina is talking about carrying out an execution in March, also by ,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he work doesn鈥檛 end with this. As we鈥檙e approaching to see how the Trump administration interfaces with the federal death penalty, our work is going to be very heavy before us.鈥�
