Firing Squads Instead of Drugs?

[Gman]

They should be public, and I don't have a problem with criminals being executed by hanging or firing squad. They're both very effective and serve as a warning to the criminal minded in our society.

[Ronin13]

Why not use a rod propelled by compressed air? Ya know, like how they do it with cows.

[kidicarus13]

Why not use a powerful captive bolt pistol... ever seen "No Country for Old Men"?

Why not use a rod propelled by compressed air? Ya know, like how they do it with cows.

Same thing

[mcjhr]

I always understood (and I fully admit that I may be wrong) that it's more of how far they drop... I think the correct dropping distance is about 24", so that it breaks the neck and severs the spinal column.

Am I wrong in this?

Pretty sure its that and where they place the knot. Almost like wringing a chicken.

[KestrelBike]

They should be public, and I don't have a problem with criminals being executed by hanging or firing squad. They're both very effective and serve as a warning to the criminal minded in our society.

I'm not sure the Death Penalty is much of a deterence for those who truly deserve it (they should ask people on death row: "Hey, how much did you consider before committing your crime whether or not you might face death as a penalty?").

I think capital punishment bears an extreme burden of proof, but I'm for it. Not with the stupid amount of appeals that delay an execution for 30+ years though.

I'm fine with shooting or hanging. What I don't really like is electrocution or lethal injection/gas. If you want to torture them, sure, ok I can't change your mind. But if the goal of capital punishment is to remove them from the world, just get it done as quick and as cleanly as possible. Probably the best way of execution = Overdose the shit out of them with morphine and follow up with a good pillow smothering. That should be painless and foolproof, right? It could only cost a couple hundred bucks, which should be tons cheaper than whatever chemical/electrical method in use now. Of course, compare that to the cost of a $2 rope or $1.50 for 5rnds of ammo.

[brianakell]

yup. Kill em. Rope, gun, train, whatever works. Cheap, and should be quick. If not quick, just as well. You take someones rights away from them, IE murder, rape, molestation etc, you deserve to die.

What about the conscience of the executioner? Easy, just ask volunteers. Pick any heinous crime, and youll get a bushel of people more than happy to pull the trigger or yank the lever.

[Great-Kazoo]

I think they need to get more creative. Pay per view style to cover the cost of housing and feeding

The system would crash hours before the actual event.
Our family are strong supporters of the Death Penalty, no matter how it's done. The less humane the better.

[merl]

The less humane the better.

That pesky constitution.

[davsel]

There's a lot of calculation that goes into hanging. Too long of a rope, and the person's head just pops off. Too little, and they strangle to death.

I always understood (and I fully admit that I may be wrong) that it's more of how far they drop... I think the correct dropping distance is about 24", so that it breaks the neck and severs the spinal column.

Am I wrong in this?

Pretty sure its that and where they place the knot. Almost like wringing a chicken.

From: http://science.howstuffworks.com/lif...by-hanging.htm

The modern method of judicial hanging is called the long drop. This is the method that Iraqi officials used to execute Saddam Hussein. In the long drop, those planning the execution calculate the drop distance required to break the subject's neck based on his or her weight, height and build. They typically aim to get the body moving quickly enough after the trap door opens to produce between 1,000 and 1,250 foot-pounds of torque on the neck when the noose jerks tight. This distance can be anywhere from 5 to 9 feet (1.5 to 2.7 meters). With the knot of the noose placed at the left side of the subject's neck, under the jaw, the jolt to the neck at the end of the drop is enough to break or dislocate a neck bone called the axis, which in turn should sever the spinal cord. In some cases, the hangman jerks up on the rope at the precise moment when the drop is ending in order to facilitate the breakage.

This is the ideal situation in a long drop. When the neck breaks and severs the spine, blood pressure drops down to nothing in about a second, and the subject loses consciousness. Brain death then takes several minutes to occur, and complete death can take more than 15 or 20 minutes, but the person at the end of the rope most likely can't feel or experience any of it.

On the next page, we'll learn about other kinds of hangings and how they cause death.

[Eric P]

I honestly don't care how they do it, or how much pain and suffering the criminal is subjected to as long as the criminal is ended.