Personal opinion of the death penalty
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I am against the death penalty. I wish society had better rehabilitation programs... but we don't have them. Killing people makes them of no more use to society.
I am fairly sure Strange Famous does not want this turning into a debate on whether or not we should use the death penalty, as I am sure there are plenty of threads already beating that dead horse.
I have few facts to bring to this. I have contemplated these methods of execution and here are some of my thoughts.
- Hanging was not always an instant death. If the knot is not placed correctly, one's neck is not broken by the fall and one would be strangled by the rope.
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Originally Posted by Methods of Execution
History: Hanging is the oldest method of execution in the United States, but fell into disfavor in the 20th century after many botched attempts, and was replaced by electrocution as the most common method.
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I guess the Brits came up with an equation based on the weight of a person to determine the length of the drop required to only break a person's neck. Otherwise:- Too short a drop and the person would slowly be strangled by the rope, disgusting the onlookers; or
- Too long and the head would be broken off, again disgusting the onlookers.
They just were ultimately going for people not to be disgusted by the hanging. @ Daniel_: you beat me to it.
- Electrocution was considered inhumane as a means of execution (supposedly heads started on fire). So gas was implemented. I cannot remember, but I have memories of stories of people that survived the gas chambers, which is why it is no longer used (as far as I know).
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Originally Posted by Methods of Execution
The most common problems encountered are the obvious agony suffered by the inmate and the length of time to cause death.
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Originally Posted by Ustwo
with an attempt to show AC as dangerous.
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Damn Edison. At least AC still won, good one for Tesla.
- Lethal injection as cruel? I thought it was painless, quick acting, and for sure. I guess if a technician missed the vein, then the process would be FUBAR'ed, but then it is a failure of the State for not hiring a more competent technician, and not a fault of the process.
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Originally Posted by Methods of Execution
The most common problem encountered is collapsing veins and the inability to properly insert the IV. Some states allow for a Thorazine or sedative injection to facilitate IV insertion.
History: Lethal injection had first been proposed as a means of execution in 1888 when New York considered it but ultimately opted for electrocution. In 1977, Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection. Texas performed the first execution by lethal injection in 1982 with the execution of Charlie Brooks.
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Some links I came across:
The History of Execution Methods (not including modern methods)
Methods of Execution (modern methods of execution)