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Lethal Injection

In 1977, Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection as a means of execution, though it would be five more years until Charles Brooks would become the first person executed by lethal injection in Texas on December 2, 1982. Today, all of the 32 states that have the death penalty use this method. When this method is used, the condemned person is usually bound to a gurney and a member of the execution team positions several heart monitors on this skin. Two needles (one is a back-up) are then inserted into usable veins, usually in the inmates arms. Long tubes connect the needle through a hole in a cement block wall to several intravenous drips. The first is a harmless saline solution that is started immediately. Then, at the warden's signal, a curtain is raised exposing the inmate to the witnesses in an adjoining room. Then, the inmate is injected with sodium thiopental - an anesthetic, which puts the inmate to sleep. Next flows pavulon or pancuronium bromide, which paralyzes the entire muscle system and stops the inmate's breathing. Finally, the flow of potassium chloride stops the heart. Death results from anesthetic overdose and respiratory and cardiac arrest while the condemned person is unconscious. (Ecenbarger, 1994 and Weisberg, 1991) Medical ethics preclude doctors from participating in executions. However, a doctor will certify the inmate is dead. This lack of medical participation can be problematic because often injections are performed by inexperienced technicians or orderlies. If a member of the execution team injects the drugs into a muscle instead of a vein, or if the needle becomes clogged, extreme pain can result. Many prisoners have damaged veins resulting from intravenous drug use and it is sometimes difficult to find a usable vein, resulting in long delays while the inmate remains strapped to the gurney. (Ecenbarger, 1994 and Weisberg, 1991)

Electrocution

Seeking a more humane method of execution than hanging, New York built the first electric chair in 1888 and executed William Kemmler in 1890. Soon, other states adopted this execution method. Today, electrocution is not used as the sole method of execution in any state. Electrocution was the sole method in Nebraska until the State Supreme Court ruled the method unconstitutional in February 2008. For execution by the electric chair, the person is usually shaved and strapped to a chair with belts that cross his chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with saline. The sponge must not be too wet or the saline short-circuits the electric current, and not too dry, as it would then have a very high resistance. An additional electrode is moistened with conductive jelly (Electro-Creme) and attached to a portion of the prisoner's leg that has been shaved to reduce resistance to electricity. The prisoner is then blindfolded. (Hillman, 1992 and Weisberg, 1991) After the execution team has withdrawn to the observation room, the warden signals the executioner, who pulls a handle to connect the power supply. A jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts, which lasts for about 30 seconds, is given. The current surges and is then turned off, at which time the body is seen to relax. The doctors wait a few seconds for the body to cool down and then check to see if the inmate's heart is still beating. If it is, another jolt is applied. This process continues until the prisoner is dead. The prisoner's hands often grip the chair and there may be violent movement of the limbs which can result in dislocation or fractures. The tissues swell. Defecation occurs. Steam or smoke rises and there is a smell of burning. (Hillman, 1992 and Weisberg, 1991) U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Brennan once offered the following description of an execution by electric chair:

...the prisoner's eyeballs sometimes pop out and rest on [his] cheeks. The prisoner often defecates, urinates, and vomits blood and drool. The body turns bright red as its temperature rises, and the prisoner's flesh swells and his skin stretches to the point of breaking. Sometimes the prisoner catches fire....Witnesses hear a loud and sustained sound like bacon frying, and the sickly sweet smell of burning flesh permeates the chamber. (Ecenbarger, 1994)

At postmortem, the body is hot enough to blister if touched, and the autopsy is delayed while the internal organs cool. There are third degree burns with blackening where the electrodes met the skin of the scalp and legs. According to Robert H. Kirschner, the deputy chief medical examiner of Cook County, "The brain appears cooked in most cases." (Weisberg, 1991)

Gas Chamber

In 1924, the use of cyanide gas was introduced as Nevada sought a more humane way of executing its inmates. Gee Jon was the first person executed by lethal gas. The state tried to pump cyanide gas into Jon's cell while he slept. This proved impossible because the gas leaked from his cell, so the gas chamber was constructed. (Bohm, 1999) Today, five states authorize lethal gas as a method of execution, but all have lethal injection as an alternative method. A federal court in California found this method to be cruel and unusual punishment. For execution by this method, the condemned person is strapped to a chair in an airtight chamber. Below the chair rests a pail of sulfuric acid. A long stethoscope is typically affixed to the inmate so that a doctor outside the chamber can pronounce death. Once everyone has left the chamber, the room is sealed. The warden then gives a signal to the executioner who flicks a lever that releases crystals of sodium cyanide into the pail. This causes a chemical reaction that releases hydrogen cyanide gas. (Weisberg, 1991) The prisoner is instructed to breathe deeply to speed up the process. Most prisoners, however, try to hold their breath, and some struggle. The inmate does not lose consciousness immediately. According to former San Quenton, California, Penitentiary warden, Clifton Duffy, "At first there is evidence of extreme horror, pain, and strangling. The eyes pop. The skin turns purple and the victim begins to drool." (Weisberg, 1991) Caryl Chessman, before he died in California's gas chamber in 1960 told reporters that he would nod his head if it hurt. Witnesses said he nodded his head for several minutes. (Ecenbarger, 1994) According to Dr. Richard Traystman of John Hopkins University School of Medicine, "The person is unquestionably experiencing pain and extreme anxiety...The sensation is similar to the pain felt by a person during a heart attack, where essentially the heart is being deprived of oxygen." The inmate dies from hypoxia, the cutting-off of oxygen to the brain. (Weisberg, 1991) At postmortem, an exhaust fan sucks the poison air out of the chamber, and the corpse is sprayed with ammonia to neutralize any remaining traces of cyanide. About a half an hour later, oderlies enter the chamber, wearing gas masks and rubber gloves. Their training manual advises them to ruffle the victim's hair to release any trapped cyanide gas before removing the deceased. (Weisberg, 1991)

As of April 17, 2015, Oklahoma introduced death by nitrogen gas as an alternative to lethal injection if the necessary drugs cannot be found or if that method is found unconstitutional. Nitrogen is a naturally occurring gas in the atmosphere, and death would be caused by forcing the inmate to breathe only nitrogen, thereby depriving him or her of oxygen.

Firing Squad

On March 23, 2015, firing squad was reauthorized in Utah as a viable method of execution if, and only if the state was unable to obtain the drugs necessary to carry out a lethal injection execution. Prior to this reauthorization, firing squad was only a method of execution in Utah if chosen by an inmate before lethal injection became the sole means of execution. The most recent execution by this method was that of Ronnie Gardner. By his own choosing, Gardner was executed by firing squad in Utah on June 17, 2010. For execution by this method, the inmate is typically bound to a chair with leather straps across his waist and head, in front of an oval-shaped canvas wall. The chair is surrounded by sandbags to absorb the inmate's blood. A black hood is pulled over the inmate's head. A doctor locates the inmate's heart with a stethoscope and pins a circular white cloth target over it. Standing in an enclosure 20 feet away, five shooters are armed with .30 caliber rifles loaded with single rounds. One of the shooters is given blank rounds. Each of the shooters aims his rifle through a slot in the canvas and fires at the inmate. (Weisberg, 1991) The prisoner dies as a result of blood loss caused by rupture of the heart or a large blood vessel, or tearing of the lungs. The person shot loses consciousness when shock causes a fall in the supply of blood to the brain. If the shooters miss the heart, by accident or intention, the prisoner bleeds to death slowly. (Hillman, 1992 and Weisberg, 1991)

Hanging

Until the 1890s, hanging was the primary method of execution used in the United States. Hanging is still used in Delaware and Washington, although both have lethal injection as an alternative method of execution.
For execution by this method, the inmate may be weighed the day before the execution, and a rehearsal is done using a sandbag of the same weight as the prisoner. This is to determine the length of 'drop' necessary to ensure a quick death. If the rope is too long, the inmate could be decapitated, and if it is too short, the strangulation could take as long as 45 minutes. The rope, which should be 3/4-inch to 1 1/4-inch in diameter, must be boiled and stretched to eliminate spring or coiling. The knot should be lubricated with wax or soap "to ensure a smooth sliding action," according to the 1969 U.S. Army manual. (The Corrections Professional, 1996 and Hillman, 1992)
Immediately before the execution, the prisoner's hands and legs are secured, he or she is blindfolded, and the noose is placed around the neck, with the knot behind the left ear. The execution takes place when a trap-door is opened and the prisoner falls through. The prisoner's weight should cause a rapid fracture-dislocation of the neck. However, instantaneous death rarely occurs. (Weisberg, 1991)
If the inmate has strong neck muscles, is very light, if the 'drop' is too short, or the noose has been wrongly positioned, the fracture-dislocation is not rapid and death results from slow asphyxiation. If this occurs the face becomes engorged, the tongue protrudes, the eyes pop, the body defecates, and violent movements of the limbs occur. (The Corrections Professional, 1996 and Weisberg, 1991)

Sources
R. Bohm, "Deathquest: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Capital Punishment in the United States," Anderson Publishing, 1999.
W. Ecenbarger, "Perfecting Death: When the state kills it must do so humanely. Is that possible?," The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, January 23, 1994.
"Executions - Preparing Staff for the Hard Task Ahead," The Corrections Professional, Vol. 1, February 16, 1996.
H. Hillman, "The Possible Pain Experienced During Executions by Different Methods," 22 Perception 745 (1992).
J. Weisberg, "This is Your Death," The New Republic, July 1, 1991.

Return to Methods of Execution.

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Lethal Injection In 1977, Oklahoma became the first state to adopt lethal injection as a means of execution, though it would be five more years until Charles Brooks would become the first person executed by lethal injection in Texas on December 2, 1982. Today, all of the 32 states that have the death penalty use this method.

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"Executions are so much a part of British history that it is almost impossible for many excellent people to think of a future without them" - Viscount Templewood, In the Shadow of the Gallows (1951)

As a form of capital punishment, hanging was introduced to Britain by the Germanic Anglo-Saxon tribes as early as the fifth century. The gallows were an important element in Germanic culture. The worthy Hengist and Horsa and their colleagues used a very rough and out-of-hand method of hanging, one that resembled our clean and tidy modern method in only this respect: it worked quite well.

William the Conqueror subsequently decreed that it should be replaced by castration and blinding for all but the crime of poaching royal deer, but hanging was reintroduced by Henry I as the means of execution for a large number of offenses. Although other methods of execution, such as boiling, burning and beheading were frequently used in the mediaeval period, by the eighteenth century hanging had become the principle punishment for capital crimes.

The eighteenth century also saw the start of the movement for the abolition of the death penalty. In 1770 [the British Politician] William Meredith, suggested 'more proportionate punishments' for crimes. He was followed in the early nineteenth century by [the legal reformer and Solicitor General] Samuel Romilly and [the Scottish jurist, politician and historian] James Mackintosh, both of whom introduced bills into Parliament in an attempt to de-capitalise minor crimes.

Witches being hanged, from Ralph Gardiner, 'England's Grievance Discovered in Relation to the Coal Trade', 1655
Perhaps unsurprising, considering the fact that in Britain at the time there were no less than 222 crimes which were defined as capital offenses, including the impersonation of a Chelsea pensioner and damaging Westminster Bridge. Moreover, the law did not distinguish between adults and children, and 'strong evidence of malice in a child of 7 to 14 years of age' was also a hanging matter.

It was not until 1861 that that the number of capital crimes was reduced to just four by the Criminal Law Consolidation Act, these being murder, arson in a royal dockyard, treason and piracy with violence. Further reform followed, and the last public hanging took place in 1868, after which all executions were carried out within prison walls.

In the nineteenth century the mechanics of hanging came under scientific scrutiny. Certain suggestions and improvements were adopted after which sweeping claims were made that the newly introduced trick for dislocating the neck was a vast improvement on the slower method of simple strangulation hitherto used.
How Hanging Kills
The position [of the brass ring] behind the ear has distinct advantages and is best calculated to cause instantaneous and painless death, because it acts in three different ways towards the same end. In the first place, it will cause death by strangulation, which was really the only cause of death in the old method before the long drop was introduced. Secondly, it dislocates the vertebrate, which is now the actual cause of death. And thirdly, if a third factor was necessary, it has a tendency to internally rupture the jugular vein, which in itself is sufficient to cause practically instantaneous death.

However, there is a simple truth behind it all, and it is this: In spite of all the progress we have witnessed, it is not possible for the greatest physician, biologist, or any other scientist to define the exact moment when a hanged person ceases to feel pain. Pro-hanging propaganda states that "death by hanging is almost instantaneous" "Almost", in relation to hanging, can allow for a period of time which may not be more than two or three minutes, or it can be a quarter of an hour, or as it has happened, much longer such as the one hour and eleven minutes taken to hang Antonio Sprecage in Canada in 1919. An intelligent law takes care of this in the sentence "to be hanged by the neck until dead ". The operative words are "until dead".
Bungled Hangings
Sepia-tone photo from a 1901 postcard of Tom Ketchum's decapitated body after hanging.
Caption reads "Body of Black Jack after the hanging showing head snapped off."
Hangmen and other government officials concerned with executions in Britain spoke with awe of the "Goodale Mess" - the hanging of a man called Goodale, at which the prisoner's head was jerked right off the body - and one of their terrors was that, because of some slight oversight, it could be easily repeated. To avoid anything so unseemly a man named William John Gray, sentenced to death for the murder of his wife, was reprieved in April 1948. After shooting his wife, Gray shot himself, fracturing his jaw. Medical examination showed that the injuries caused were of such a character that "as make it impractical to carry out the execution". This could mean one of two things: that he might die from strangulation because of a failure of the brass eyelet to cause dislocation; or that, to cause dislocation, he would have to be given a drop so long that his head might be pulled off. Hence, in the interests of both humanity and hanging, it was much safer to grant him a reprieve.

In 1927 the British Medical Journal published another account by an ex-colonial surgeon of a botched hanging. He stated that he had to witness the execution of four natives. The executioner was in a hurry that day to keep another appointment, and decided to hang the men in pairs. As a general rule, on auscultation the heart may be heard beating for about ten minutes after the drop, and on this occasion when the sounds had ceased, there was nothing to suggest a vital spark. The bodies were cut down after fifteen minutes and placed in an ante-chamber, when one of the supposed corpses gave a gasp and was found making spasmodic respiratory efforts. The two bodies were quickly suspended again for a quarter of an hour longer.

Another great figure in the annals of hanging is John Lee. It is necessary to say on behalf of the late Mr Berry, who officiated at the long drawn-out hanging process, that he was in every way qualified to perform the task. But the cruel fact remains. Three times he tried to hang John Lee on Monday 23 February 1885; and three times he failed. The failure to hang John Lee was officially explained as due to rain which had caused the planks of the trap to swell. This may well have been the case. It has been suggested that the failure to deal adequately with John Lee is a proof provided by Providence of his innocence. Maybe. Or perhaps it can be attributed to immunity from hanging developed by heredity in accordance with Mendel's theory. Incidentally, John Lee lived to a ripe and contented old age.
© Excerpts from 'A Handbook on Hanging' by Charles Duff
Yet it was to be almost one hundred years before hanging was to disappear completely from the British justice system. On 9 November 1965 the Murder (Abolition of Death Penalty) Act suspended the death penalty for murder for five years in the United Kingdom and, on 16 December 1969, the House of Commons voted by a majority of 158 that capital punishment for murder should be abolished. Even after this the death penalty theoretically survived for treason, piracy with violence, arson in a royal dockyard and certain crimes under the jurisdiction of the armed forces, but with the ratification of the 6th protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights on 20 May 1999, all provisions for the death penalty were finally abolished in the United Kingdom.

Worldwide the death penalty is still retained in 77 countries as a way of dealing with a range of crimes. However, the 'humanity' of hanging and other forms of execution raises important questions as to the wisdom of a punishment which allows little room for error on the part of an eminently fallible justice system.

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"Executions are so much a part of British history that it is almost impossible for many excellent people to think of a future without them" - Viscount Templewood, In the Shadow of the Gallows (1951) As a form of capital punishment, hanging was introduced to Britain by the Germanic Anglo-Saxon tribes as early as the fifth century.

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Decimation was never a common punishment: it was too harsh and would no longer inspire terror if it were applied too often. Our sources only rarely refer to it, but every reader knew what was meant.

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Waterboarding, confinement, sleep deprivation - Oliver Laughland takes a look at some of the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' used by the agency

The CIA, and the Senate intelligence committee, would rather avoid the word "torture," preferring euphemisms like "enhanced interrogation techniques" and "rendition, detention and interrogation program".Many of the techniques employed by the CIA after capturing high-value targets have been documented in CIA memos released by the Obama administration, and in numerous leaks, including a report written by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Here are some of the techniques known to have been used, and the effects on detainees:

Rectal feeding and rehydration

The torture report contains new information on the CIA's use of rectal feeding and rehydration. At least five detainees were subjected to the process, the report states. The report details how accused USS Cole bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri was placed "in a forward facing position (Trendelenburg) with head lower than torso", whilst undergoing rectal feeding.

Another detainee, Majid Khan, a legal resident of the United States and accused confident of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, was also subjected to rectal feeding. According to a CIA cable released in the report, his "'lunch tray' consisting of hummus, pasta with sauce, nuts and raisins was 'pureed and rectally infused'".

Mohammed was also subjected to rectal rehydration "without a determination of medical need". Mohammed's chief interrogator described use of the process as emblematic of their "total control over the detainee".

Confinement in a box

Placing the subject inside a confined box to restrict their movement was approved by the Bush administration in the case of Abu Zubaydah.

Zubaydah says he was placed in a number of different confinement boxes in an intense period of interrogation in Afghanistan in 2002. He told the ICRC that the boxes made it difficult to breathe and reopened wounds in his legs. He could not recall how long he spent in each confinement box, and believes he may have passed out inside.

The use of insects inside the box was also approved, to exploit a phobia Abu Zubaydah had. This element was not ultimately used, according to memos.

The use of cold water

A number of those interviewed by the ICRC said they were often subjected to dousings in cold water during interrogation. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad's co-defendant Walid bin Attash said that for the first two weeks of his detention in Afghanistan his naked body was wrapped in plastic after being doused, and kept inside the cold envelope of water for several minutes.

In November 2002, a suspected Afghan militant, Gul Rahman, died of hypothermia inside a CIA black site north of Kabul known as the Salt Pit. Rahman had been left in a cold cell, stripped from the waist down and had been doused in water, according to reports from the Associated Press.

The torture report contains more details on Rahman's death, including details of the CIA's interrogation methodology used. This included "48 hours of sleep deprivation, auditory overload, total darkness, isolation a cold shower and rough treatment". The CIA Headquarters did not approve these methods in advance, the report says. But the day before Rahman's death, one CIA officer ordered that Rahman be shackled to the wall of his cell and sat on the cold floor whilst naked from the waist down. CIA headquarters had approved the use of "enhanced measures" at this point.

The CIA officer who sent these instructions received no reprimand. Instead, four months later, he was given a $2,500 cash reward for his "consistently superior work".
Waterboarding
The process of suffocation by water involves strapping the individual to a tilted board, with legs above their head, placing a cloth over their face, covering their nose and mouth. Water is then poured continuously over the cloth to prevent breathing, simulate drowning and induce panic.

The process is carried out for about 40 seconds and is known to have been repeated a number of times during interrogation.

The process was carried out on three detainees, Bush administration officials have said. But the number could be higher, according to a 2012 report from Human Rights Watch.

One of those, Abu Zubaydah, a suspected senior Bin Laden lieutenant, told the ICRC: "I struggled without success to breathe. I thought I was going to die. I lost control of my urine." He underwent the process 83 times, while another of the CIA's highest-value detainees, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, said to be the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks, was subjected to waterboarding 183 times.

Beatings and threats

Many detainees have reported being beaten by interrogators, and the CIA memo mentions a number of approved methods of physical contact, including "facial holds", "insult slaps" and "attention grasps".

Most of those interviewed by the ICRC alleged that these beatings often occurred in the immediate aftermath of their capture, often multiple times in the day.

One detainee said: "I was punched and slapped in the face and on the back, to the extent that I was bleeding. While having a rope round my neck and being tied to a pillar, my head was banged against the pillar repeatedly."

Six of the detainees said they were slammed into walls after having a collar placed around their necks. The CIA called it"walling": a fake, flexible wall is constructed and a detainee is thrown against it, creating a loud noise. The noise is designed to make the detainee believe they are injured.

Detainees also reported threats of severe violence and sexual assault made against them and their families. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the ICRC he was threatened with being brought to the "verge of death and back again".

The torture report notes that at least three detainees were threatened with harm to their families. Interrogators implied to Nashiri that his mother would be brought in front of him and sexually abused. The report also notes one detainee was told his mother's throat would be cut. It is not clear which detainee this references.

The torture report confirms that Nashiri was threatened with a pistol placed near his head and a cordless drill that was operated near his body. Nashiri was blindfolded at the time.

"Al-Nashiri did not provide any additional threat information during, or after, these interrogations," the report concludes.

Stress positions

A variety of stress positions were used by the CIA. Ten terror suspects alleged to the ICRC that these included beingtold to stand upright and shackled to the ceiling for up to three days, and in some cases at intervals for over three months. Other stress positions included being shackled to the floor with arms stretched over the head.

Three detainees interviewed by the ICRC said they were forced to urinate and defecate on themselves in these positions, and were left standing in their own excrement.

The use of stress positions was designed to cause muscle fatigue, physical discomfort and exhaustion.

Sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation was employed routinely and was seen as a key tool in enhanced interrogations. Many of these techniques overlap with other interrogation procedures - the use of stress positions, and in particular shackling a standing detainee with his hands in front of his body.

Among the most infamous was the use of loud music and white noise, sometimes played for 24 hours a day on short loops. Cells were also reportedly kept deliberately cold to prevent detainees falling asleep. The agency was authorized to keep a detainee awake for up to 180 hours - about a week - but told the Justice Department it only kept three detainees awake for 96 hours maximum.

Eleven of the 14 detainees interviewed by the ICRC said they had been subjected to sleep deprivation. One said: "If I started to fall asleep a guard would come and spray water in my face."

The torture report reveals that four detainees, each with "medical complications in their lower extremities", including two with broken feet, were placed in shackled standing positions for "extended periods of time" to induce sleep deprivation.
The men with broken feet, Abu Hazim and Abd al-Karim who sustained the injuries whilst trying to escape capture, were also subjected to walling, stress positions and cramped confinement, despite recommendations that their injuries prevented this form of interrogation.

Forced nudity and restricted diets

The CIA viewed certain techniques as "conditioning" measures, designed to get detainees used to their helplessness rather than yielding any intelligence value on their own. Sleep deprivation was in this category. So was stripping a detainee naked, which a 2005 memo from the Justice Department to the CIA said carried the benefit of "reward[ing] detainees instantly with clothing for cooperation." (While keeping a detainee naked "might cause embarrassment," a Justice Department lawyer wrote, it did not itself constitute "sexual abuse" or the threat of sexual abuse.)

Another "conditioning" technique involved feeding a detainee "a bland, commercial liquid meal" instead of normal food. The CIA set caloric intake guidelines - a recommended minimum was 1,500 calories daily - and relied on medical personnel, who are sworn to do no harm to their patients, to ensure detainees did not lose more than 10% of their body weight. A Justice Department memo understood the dietary manipulation could "increase the effectiveness of other techniques, such as sleep deprivation."

* This article was amended on 9 December 2014 to correct a sentence that stated the CIA authorized a detainee to be kept awake for up to 180 hours - "about a week and a half." It should have said "about a week."
Topics

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Waterboarding, confinement, sleep deprivation - Oliver Laughland takes a look at some of the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' used by the agency The CIA, and the Senate intelligence committee, would rather avoid the word "torture," preferring euphemisms like "enhanced interrogation techniques" and "rendition, detention and interrogation program".Many of the techniques employed by the CIA after capturing high-value targets have been documented in CIA memos released by the Obama administration, and in numerous leaks, including a report written by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

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The Brazen Bull torture device was a Greek device used to torture the criminals till death. It was one of the most gruesome methods of executing criminals during the medieval period. In order to discourage the people from committing crimes, criminals were executed publicly by this method. They screamed, suffered and ultimately died of the extreme heat.

History and Origins of the Brazen Bull

The Brazen Bull was invented by Perillos of Athens in the 6th century BC. He suggested Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas, to use the Brazen Bull torture device as the new method for executing criminals. It is also believed that Phalaris got disgusted by the description of the working of the bull presented by Perillos and ordered him to enter the Brazen Bull and show him how screams would actually sound. Once Perillos entered the Brazen Bull, orders were passed to lock its doors and light a fire under it. Perillos screamed and suffered inside the bull and when he was about to die he was taken out. He thought that Phalaris would reward him for this invention, instead, he threw him from the hill and was eventually killed. This History of the Brazen Bull torture device was repeated when Phalaris was overthrown by the Telemachus as it was believed that he also died inside the Brazen Bull Torture Device.

How did a Brazen Bull Work?

The Brazen Bull worked in following manner: Criminals were ordered to enter the bull and then the door was locked. After that a fire was lit up under the bull and it was heated to a point that Brazen Bull was red hot and the criminals inside were roasted to death. The head of the Brazen Bull had specialised tubes that converted the screams of the tortured criminals into the bellowing of an infuriated bull.

What was a Brazen Bull Torture device made from?

The Brazen Bull torture device was completely made from Bronze and was hollow inside. It was of the same size and shape of an original bull and had a door on one side that was large enough for a man to easily enter. The Brazen Bull had an acoustic setup that converted human screams into the sound of a bull. This acoustic step was inside the head of the bull and consisted of a complex system of tubes and stops

Types of Crimes punishable with the Brazen Bull?

Criminals that had carried out serious crimes such as treason were subjected to punish with the Brazen Bull. Criminals were given such punishments in order to discourage the poor population from committing any more crimes. The Brazen bull was also used in order to punish people on the basis of Religious differences as historically it is believed that many Jews and Christians were executed with the Brazen Bull.

Brazen Bull Summary

Human beings have always tried to invent new ways of torturing their fellow human beings in order to punish them for different crimes, but seldom have they created such artistic devices like the Brazen Bull. The Brazen Bull was used to burn and roast criminals alive and let people know of their fate if they committed similar crimes.

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The Brazen Bull torture device was a Greek device used to torture the criminals till death. It was one of the most gruesome methods of executing criminals during the medieval period. In order to discourage the people from committing crimes, criminals were executed publicly by this method.

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In Indiana prior to 1913, all executions were by hanging. From 1913 through 1994, all executions were by electric chair. Since 1995, all executions have been by lethal injection. Current execution procedure is found at Indiana Code 35-38-6 and requires that the lethal injection execution take place inside the walls of the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City before sunrise.

Indiana Code 35-38-6-1 Execution Procedure

(a) The punishment of death shall be inflicted by intravenous injection of a lethal substance or substances into the convicted person:
(1) in a quantity sufficient to cause the death of the convicted person; and
(2) until the convicted person is dead.
(b) The death penalty shall be inflicted before the hour of sunrise on a date fixed by the sentencing court. However, the execution must not occur until at least one hundred (100) days after the conviction.
(c) The superintendent of the state prison, or persons designated by the superintendent, shall designate the person who is to serve as the executioner.
(d) The department of correction may adopt rules under IC 4-22-2 necessary to implement subsection(a). [As added by P.L.311-1983, 3. Amended by P.L.294-1995, 1; P.L.20-2002, 1; P.L.67-2017, 15; P.L.217-2017, 158, effective April 27, 2017; P.L.86-2018, 334, effective March 15, 2018.]

As of December 31, 2020, a total of 31 states and the federal government authorized the death penalty. Methods of execution are defined by statute and vary by jurisdiction. In 2020, all 31 states with a death penalty statute authorized lethal injection as the primary method of execution. However, fifteen states also authorized alternative methods of execution: electrocution (9 states), lethal gas (3), firing squad (3), nitrogen hypoxia (3), and hanging (2). In states that authorized multiple methods of execution, the condemned prisoner may select the method. Five states (Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Utah) stipulate which method must be used depending on the date of either the crime or the sentencing. Six states authorized alternative methods if lethal injection was ruled to be unconstitutional: Arkansas authorized electrocution; Delaware authorized hanging; Mississippi and Oklahoma authorized electrocution, firing squad, or nitrogen hypoxia; Utah authorized firing squad; and Wyoming authorized lethal gas. Federal prisoners are executed by lethal injection, pursuant to 28 C.F.R. Part 26. For offenses prosecuted under the federal Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the law of the state in which the conviction took place determines the method used (18 U.S.C. 3596).

Recent State Action:

In 2020, the Colorado legislature repealed the death penalty for first-degree murder charged on or afer July 1, 2020 (SB 20-100). The law became effective on March 23, 2020, and specifed that the repeal was prospective and did not afect the sentences of the three male prisoners under previously imposed death sentences. However, the death sentences for the three prisoners were commuted to life without the possibility of parole by the governor on the same date the repeal bill was enacted.

In 2019, New Hampshire repealed its death penalty statutes (HB 455), efective May 30, 2019. The repeal did not affect previously imposed death sentences, and as of December 31, 2020, New Hampshire held one male prisoner under sentence of death.

In 2018, the Washington Supreme Court declared the state death penalty statute unconstitutional as applied, State v. Gregory, 192 Wash. 2d 1, 427 P.3d 621 (2018). The Washinton state legislature has neither revised nor repealed the statute.

The Delaware Supreme Court held that a portion of Delawares death penalty sentencing statute (11 Del. C. 4209) was unconstitutional ( Rauf v. State, 145 A.3d 430 (Del. 2016)). No legislative action has been taken to amend the statute. As a result, capital cases are no longer pursued in Delaware.

The New York Court of Appeals held that a portion of New Yorks death penalty sentencing statute (C.P.L. 400.27) was unconstitutional. People v. Taylor, 9 N.Y.3d 129 (2007). No legislative action has been taken to amend the statute. As a result, capital cases are no longer pursued in New York.
STATE STATUTES / METHOD OF EXECUTION

Jurisdiction

Statute

Primary Method

Federal Govt

28 CFR 26.3
18 USC 3596

Lethal Injection or
State Method

LETHAL INJECTION

Procedure: State statutes typically provide: "The punishment of death must be inflicted by continuous, intravenous administration of a lethal quantity of an ultrashort-acting barbiturate in combination with a chemical paralytic agent until death is pronounced by a licensed physician according to accepted standards of medical practice."

The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a combination of three drugs. The first, sodium thiopental or sodium pentothal, is a barbiturate that renders the prisoner unconscious. The second, pancuronium bromide, is a muscle relaxant that paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs. The third, potassium chloride, causes cardiac arrest. Each chemical is lethal in the amounts administered.

The inmate is escorted into the execution chamber and is strapped onto a gurney with ankle and wrist restraints. The inmate is connected to a cardiac monitor which is connected to a printer outside the execution chamber. An IV is started in two usable veins, one in each arm, and a flow of normal saline solution is administered at a slow rate. One line is held in reserve in case of a blockage or malfunction in the other. At the wardens signal, 5.0 grams of sodium pentothal (in 20 cc of diluent) is administered, then the line is flushed with sterile normal saline solution. This is followed by 50 cc of pancuronium bromide, a saline flush, and finally, 50 cc of potassium chloride. (See California Execution Procedures).

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.

Current Application: 20 states authorize lethal injection as the sole method of execution. 16 other states provide for lethal injection as the primary method of execution, but provide alternative methods depending upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Since 2008, almost 90% of all U.S. executions have been by lethal injection.

ELECTROCUTION

Procedure: State statutes typically provide: "The sentence shall be executed by causing to pass through the body of the convict a current of electricity of sufficient intensity to cause death, and the application and continuance of such current through the body of such convict shall continue until such convict is dead."

The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a wooden chair with restraints and connections to an electric current. The offender enters the execution chamber and is placed in the electric chair. The chair is constructed of oak and is set on a rubber matting and bolted to a concrete floor. Lap, chest, arm, and forearm straps are secured. A leg piece (anklet) is laced to the offender's right calf and a sponge and electrode is attached. The headgear consists of a metal headpiece covered with a leather hood which conceals the offender's face. The metal part of the headpiece consists of a copper wire mesh screen to which the electrode is brazened. A wet sponge is placed between the electrode and the offender's scalp. The safety switch is closed. The circuit breaker is engaged. The execution control panel is activated. The automatic cycle begins with the programmed 2,300 volts (9.5 amps) for eight seconds, followed by 1,000 volts (4 amps) for 22 seconds, followed by 2,300 volts (9.5 amps) for eight seconds. When the cycle is complete, the equipment is disconnected and the manual circuit behind the chair is disengaged. If the offender is not pronounced dead, the execution cycle is then repeated. (See Florida Execution Procedures).

The most common problems encountered include burning of varying degrees to parts of the body, and a failure of the procedures to cause death without repeated shocks. Witness accounts of many botched executions over the years have likely caused electrocution to be replaced with lethal injection as the most common method of execution.

History: In 1888, New York became the first state to adopt electrocution as its method of execution. William Kemmler was the first man executed by electrocution in 1890. See, In re Kemmler, 136 U.S. 436 (1890). The last state to adopt electrocution as a method of execution was in 1949. From 1930-1980 it was clearly the most common method of execution in the United States.

Current Application: No state currently uses electrocution as the sole method of execution. Nine other states provide for electrocution as an alternative method to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional. Of the countries outside the United States that impose capital punishment, none prescribe execution by electrocution. Both the Humane Society of the United States and the American Veterinarian Medical Association condemn electrocution as a method of euthanasia for animals. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, 158 (11.6%) convicted murderers executed were by electric chair. (Florida 44, Virginia 31, Alabama 24, Georgia 23, Louisiana 20, South Carolina 7, Indiana 3, Nebraska 3, Kentucky 1, Arkansas 1, Tennessee 1.) The last was Robert Charles Gleason Jr. in Virginia on January 16, 2013).

LETHAL GAS

Procedure: State statutes typically and simply provide: "The punishment of death must be inflicted by the administration of a lethal gas."

The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a steel airtight execution chamber, equipped with a chair and attached restraints. The inmate is restrained at his chest, waist, arms, and ankles, and wears a mask during the execution. The chair is equipped with a metal container beneath the seat. Cyanide pellets are placed in this container. A metal canister is on the floor under the container filled with a sulfuric acid solution. There are three executioners, and each executioner turns one key. When the three keys are turned, an electric switch causes the bottom of the cyanide container to open allowing the cyanide to fall into the sulfuric acid solution, producing a lethal gas. Unconsciousness can occur within a few seconds if the prisoner takes a deep breath. However, if he or she holds their breath death can take much longer, and the prisoner usually goes into wild convulsions. A heart monitor attached to the inmate is read in the control room, and after the warden pronounces the inmate dead, ammonia is pumped into the execution chamber to neutralize the gas. Exhaust fans then remove the inert fumes from the chamber into two scrubbers that contain water and serve as a neutralizing agent. The neutralizing process takes approximately 30 minutes from the time the offender's death is determined. Death is estimated to usually occur within 6 to 18 minutes of the lethal gas emissions. (See North Carolina Execution Procedures).

The most common problems encountered are the obvious agony suffered by the inmate and the length of time to cause death.

History: The use of a gas chamber for execution was inspired by the use of poisonous gas in World War I, as well as the popularity of the gas oven as a means of suicide. Nevada became the first state to adopt execution by lethal gas in 1924 and carried out the first execution in 1924. Since then it has served as the means of carrying out the death sentence 31 times. Lethal gas was seen as an improvement over other forms of execution, because it was less violent and did not disfigure or mutilate the body. The last execution by lethal gas took place in Arizona in 1999.

Current Application: Only 4 states, Arizona, California, Missouri, and Wyoming, currently authorize lethal gas as a method of execution, all as an alternative to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of lethal injection being held unconstitutional. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, 11 of 1,389 (01.0%) convicted murderers executed were by the administration of lethal gas. Most recently, Walter LeGrand elected Lethal Gas in Arizona on March 3, 1999.

HANGING

Procedure: Prior to any execution, the gallows area trap door and release mechanisms are inspected for proper operation. The rope, which is of manila hemp of at least 3/4"and not more than 1 1/4"in diameter and approximately 30 feet in length, is soaked and then stretched while drying to eliminate any spring, stiffness, or tendency to coil. The hangman's knot, which is tied pursuant to military regulations, is treated with wax, soap, or clear oil, to ensure that the rope slides smoothly through the knot. The end of the rope which does not contain the noose is tied to a grommet in the ceiling and then is tied off to a metal T-shaped bracket, which takes the force delivered by the offender's drop.

Additionally, prior to an execution, the condemned offender's file is reviewed to determine if there are any unusual characteristics the offender possesses that might warrant deviation from field instructions on hanging. A physical examination and measuring process is conducted to assure almost instant death and a minimum of bruising. If careful measuring and planning is not done, strangulation, obstructed blood flow, or beheading could result. At the appropriate time on execution day, the inmate, in restraints, is escorted to the gallows area and is placed standing over a hinged trap door from which the offender will be dropped. Following the offender's last statement, a hood is placed over the offender's head. Restraints are also applied. If the offender refuses to stand or cannot stand, he is placed on a collapse board. A determination of the proper amount of the drop of the condemned offender through the trap door is calculated using a standard military execution chart for hanging. The "drop" must be based on the prisoner's weight, to deliver 1260 foot_pounds of force to the neck. The noose is then placed snugly around the convict's neck, behind his or her left ear, which will cause the neck to snap. The trap door then opens, and the convict drops. If properly done, death is caused by dislocation of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae, or by asphyxiation. A button mechanically releases the trap door and escorts then move to the lower floor location to assist in the removal of the offender's body. (See Washington Execution Procedures).

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. There have been only 3 executions by hanging since 1977: Westley Dodd (WA 1993), Charles Campbell (WA 1994), and Billy Bailey (DE 1996).

Current Application: Only 3 states, Delaware, New Hampshire, and Washington, currently authorize hanging as a method of execution, all as an alternative to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, whether injection is impractical," or the possibility of lethal injection being held unconstitutional. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, only 3 of 1,389 (0.3%) convicted murderers executed were by hanging. Most recently, Billy Bailey elected Hanging in Delaware on January 25, 1996.

FIRING SQUAD

Procedure: Shooting can be carried out by a single executioner who fires from short range at the back of the head or neck as in China. The traditional firing squad is made up of three to six shooters per prisoner who stand or kneel opposite the condemned who is usually tied to a chair or to a stake. Normally the shooters aim at the chest, since this is easier to hit than the head, causing rupture of the heart, great vessels, and lungs so that the condemned person dies of hemorrhage and shock. It is not unusual for the officer in charge to have to give the prisoner a pistol shot to the head to finish them off after the initial volley has failed to kill them.

The Utah statute authorizing execution by firing squad only provides: "If the judgment of death is to be carried out by shooting, the executive director of the department or his designee shall select a five-person firing squad of peace officers." At the appropriate time, the condemned offender is led to the execution area or chamber, which is used for both lethal injection and firing squad executions. The offender is placed in a specially designed chair which has a pan beneath it to catch and conceal blood and other fluids. Restraints are applied to the offender's arms, legs, chest and head. A head restraint is applied loosely around the offender's neck to hold his neck and head in an upright position. The offender is dressed in a dark blue outfit with a white cloth circle attached by Velcro to the area over the offender's heart. Behind the offender are sandbags to absorb the volley and prevent ricochets. Approximately 20 feet directly in front of the offender is a wall. This wall has firing ports for each member of the firing squad. The weapons used are 30_30 caliber rifles. No special ammunition is used. Following the offender's statement, a hood is placed over the offender's head. The warden leaves the room. The firing squad members stand in the firing position. They support their rifles on the platform rests. With their rifle barrels in the firing ports, the team members sight through open sights on the white cloth circle on the offender's chest. On the command to fire, the squad fires simultaneously. One squad member has a blank charge in his weapon but no member knows which member is designated to receive this blank charge. (See Utah Execution Procedures).

History: In recent history only three inmates have been executed by firing squad, all in Utah: Gary Gilmore (1977), John Albert Taylor, and Ronnie Lee Gardner (2010). While the method was popular with the military in times of war, there has been only one such execution since the Civil War: Private Eddie Slovak in WWII.

Current Application: Only 2 states, Oklahoma and Utah, currently authorize shooting as a method of execution, all as an alternative to lethal injection, depending upon the choice of the inmate, whether injection is impractical," or the possibility of lethal injection being held unconstitutional. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, only 3 (0.2%) of the 1,389 convicted murderers executed were by firing squad. Most recently, Ronnie Lee Gardner elected a Firing Squad in Utah on June 18, 2010.

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In Indiana prior to 1913, all executions were by hanging. From 1913 through 1994, all executions were by electric chair. Since 1995, all executions have been by lethal injection. Current execution procedure is found at Indiana Code 35-38-6 and requires that the lethal injection execution take place inside the walls of the Indiana State Prison at Michigan City before sunrise.

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The death penalty...

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Executions Around the World
International Death Penalty Database - Maintained by the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide (Cornell Law School)
Foreign Nationals on United States' Death Rows
International News and Developments - Current Year

International News and Developments - Previous Years
DPIC Materials and Resources
EXECUTIONS AND DEATH SENTENCES AROUND THE WORLD (+ after a country's number indicates number is minimal estimate)
See also International Death Penalty Database
23 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2016. At least 1,032 executions were carried out in 2016, a 37% decrease from the previous year. As in previous years, this figure does not include the estimated thousands of executions carried out in China, which treats data on the death penalty as a state secret. Four countries-Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Pakistan-were responsible for 87% of the world's confirmed executions in 2016. The United States ranked 7th in documented executions (20) in 2016. However, the U.S. may actually rank behind Vietnam, as well. A report of the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security that became public in February 2017 revealed that the country secretly executed 429 prisoners between August 6, 2013 and June 30, 2016. As a result of improved data collection, Amnesty was able to document that at least 3,117 people were sentenced to death in 55 countries in 2016. View the full Amnesty 2016 report here and Amnesty's summary of the report here.

At least 25 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2015. At least 1,634 executions were carried out in 2015, the highest number in 25 years. This figure does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to be carried out in China. Beginning in 2009, Amnesty International ceased to publish minimum figures for the use of the death penalty in China, where such statistics are considered to be state secrets. 89% of all recorded executions in 2015 took place in 3 countries: Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia. The United States ranked 5th in documented executions (28) in 2015. However, the U.S. may actually also rank behind Vietnam. A report of the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security that became public in February 2017 revealed that the country secretly executed 429 prisoners between August 6, 2013 and June 30, 2016. At least 1,998 people are known to have been sentenced to death in 2015, a decrease compared to 2014. View the Amnesty 2015 report here.

At least 22 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2014, the same as in 2013. At least 607 executions were carried out in 2014. This figure does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to be carried out in China. Beginning in 2009, Amnesty International ceased to publish minimum figures for the use of the death penalty in China, where such statistics are considered to be state secrets.The United States ranked 5th in documented executions (35) in 2014. However, the U.S. may actually also rank behind Vietnam. A report of the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security that became public in February 2017 revealed that the country secretly executed 429 prisoners between August 6, 2013 and June 30, 2016. At least 2,466 people are known to have been sentenced to death in 2014, an increase of 28% compared with 2013. The increase was mainly due to large numbers of death sentences in Egypt and Nigeria, where mass sentences were imposed in single cases with large numbers of defendants. View the Amnesty 2014 report here.

At least 22 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2013. At least 778 executions were carried out in 2013. This figure does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to be carried out in China. Beginning in 2009, Amnesty International ceased to publish minimum figures for the use of the death penalty in China, where such statistics are considered to be state secrets. The United States ranked 5th in documented executions (35) in 2015. However, the U.S. may actually also rank behind Vietnam. A report of the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security that became public in February 2017 revealed that the country secretly executed 429 prisoners between August 6, 2013 and June 30, 2016. View the Amnesty 2013 report here.

At least 21 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2012. At least 682 executions were carried out in 2012. This figure does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to be carried out in China. Beginning in 2009, Amnesty International ceased to publish minimum figures for the use of the death penalty in China, where such statistics are considered to be state secrets. View the Amnesty 2012 report here.

At least 20 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2011. At least 676 executions were carried out in 2011. This figure does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to be carried out in China. Beginning in 2009, Amnesty International ceased to publish minimum figures for the use of the death penalty in China, where such statistics are considered to be state secrets. View the Amnesty 2011 report here.

At least 23 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2010. At least 527 executions were carried out in 2010. This figure does not include the thousands of executions that were believed to be carried out in China. Last year Amnesty International decided not to publish minimum figures for the use of the death penalty in China, where such statistics are considered to be state secrets. View the Amnesty 2010 report here.

Eighteen countries carried out executions in 2009. Amnesty International documented the executions of 714, but this total does not include figures from China where the majority of the world's executions take place. The real global total is significantly higher. The five countries with the most executions are Iran (388+), Iraq (120+), Saudi Arabia (69+), the United States (52), and China, which executed more people than the rest of the world combined, according to same report by Amnesty International.

In 2008, at least 2,390 people were executed in 25 countries around the world and 8,864 people were sentenced to death in 52 countries. Amnesty International reports that executions almost doubled in number from 1,252 in 2007. Ninety-five percent of all known executions were carried out in only six countries: China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Pakistan and Iraq.

In 2007, a minimum of 1,252 people were executed in 24 countries and at least 3,347 people were sentenced to death in over 50 countries. Just five countries - China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the USA - carried out the overwhelming majority (88%) of known executions in the world last year. In China execution figures are a state secret meaning their total number of executions could be much higher.

In 2006, there were 1,591 executions around the world. Amnesty International reported that executions worldwide fell by more than 25% in 2006, down from 2,148 in 2005 to 1,591. Of all known executions that took place in 2006, 91% were carried out in six countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and the United States.

In 2005, there were at least 2,148 executions in 22 countries around the world. China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States were responsible for 94 percent of these known executions. The following countries executed defendants in 2005 (figures are only of confirmed executions):
Source: Amnesty International DPIC Materials and Resources
United Nations' Death Penalty Conference in Minsk, Belarus. The United Nations, with the cooperation of the Belarus Foreign Ministry, held an international death penalty conference, The Death Penalty: Transcending the Divide, in Minsk, Belarus on March 10, 2016. Belarus is the only country in Europe that still carries out the death penalty. The conference featured presentations by Stavros Lambrinidis, the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights; Andrea Rigoni, a member of the Italian Parliament and representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; former Czech Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Karel Schwarzenberg; and Belarus Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Makei, among others. DPIC Executive Director Robert Dunham presented to the conference on using a multidisciplinary approach to analyze policy issues relating to the administration of capital punishment. (Photo courtesy U.S. Embassy, Minsk: DPIC Executive Director Robert Dunham (DPIC) speaks at the UN death penalty conference in Minsk.)

EU Rendez-vous: The Death Penalty in the US: On the Cusp of Repeal This event was a panel discussion on the status of the death penalty in the United States. Former Executive Director Richard C. Dieter was asked to sit in on a panel to answer the question, "What is happening to the death penalty in the U.S.?" Mr. Dieter was joined by Sarah Turberville of the Constitution Project and Diann Rust-Tierney of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. The event took place on October 21, 2014 and was sponsored by the European Union. This event was held at the residence of the Ambassador from the Netherlands. The video of the event is available here.

The Death Penalty Information Center's Richard Dieter, then its Executive Director, at the First European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Forum, held in Brussels, Belgium in June 2011.

"Fighting Crime in the U.S. and Internationally: Is the Death Penalty Necessary? A Unique Conversation Between U.S. and European Law Enforcement." A panel of law enforcement officials from the U.S. and Europe discussing the merits of the death penalty in reducing violent crime. The officers also addressed whether capital punishment actually helps to keep citizens safe, assists healing for victims, and uses crime-fighting resources efficiently. (National Press Club, Wash., D.C., Oct. 13, 2010).

"Changing Views on the Death Penalty in the United States." Paper delivered in Beijing, China, October 7, 2007, at the Conference on Alternatives to the Death Penalty in U.S.A and China by Richard C. Dieter.

"The Status of the Death Penalty in the United States," by Richard C. Dieter, prepared for the Subcommittee on Human Rights, European Parliament, January 29, 2007.

"Cross-Cultural Death-Penalty Experiences," panel presentation, remarks by Richard C. Dieter, International Leadership Conference on Human Rights and the Death Penalty, Dec. 6-7, 2005, Tokyo, Japan; published at 28 Thomas M. Cooley Law Review 23 (2011).

" "International Influence on the Death Penalty in the US, Foreign Service Journal, October 2003.

"A Response to the Initial Report of the United States to the United Nations on the Race Convention." Richard Dieter's Ford Foundation Symposium Presentation, October 17, 2000.

DPIC Report: "International Perspectives on the Death Penalty: A Costly Isolation for the US" (1999).

"The United States Death Penalty and International Law: US Compliance with the Torture and Race Conventions," Richard Dieter's Ford Foundation Symposium Presentation, November 12, 1998.

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The Death Penalty: An International Perspective

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Executions Around the World International Death Penalty Database - Maintained by the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide (Cornell Law School) Foreign Nationals on United States' Death Rows International News and Developments - Current Year International News and Developments - Previous Years DPIC Materials and Resources EXECUTIONS AND DEATH SENTENCES AROUND THE WORLD (+ after a country's number indicates number is minimal estimate) See also International Death Penalty Database 23 countries were known to have carried out judicial executions in 2016.

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The Strange Story of the Man Who Chose Execution By Firing Squad

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How Gary Gilmore's 1977 execution came to pass

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The History of Stoning as A Form of Capital Punishment

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The History of Stoning as A Form of Capital Punishment By: Salman Jamshed & Ismael Khan For What Crime is Stoning Prescribed? Stoning is used as a punishment for adultery, or zina. It is a method used to control the sexuality and bodies of both men and women.