Anti-hanging

Hanging has been utilized as a mode of execution for as long as can be remembered. More people have been sentenced to death by hanging than any other form of execution. Hangings are a very simple procedure yet there have been more botched executions by this method than by any other (Leuchter 2) Some of these problems include, many times the hangings took forever for the victim to die, they were decapitated, and even in some cases hangings took more than one drop to kill the victim. Executions by hangings are cruel and unusual according to the 8th amendment and should be eliminated.

A rope with a slip knot was put around the victim's neck and the free end was thrown around or tied to the branch of a tree in the early methods of hanging. The criminal's hands were tied behind them and a hood was placed over their head.

Tom Ketchum

Hanging plant

Capital Punishment

The criminal was pulled up off of the ground and was then strangled by the rope (Eckhardt 1). Before the victim reached unconsciousness, the victim's eyes bulged out, they lose control of their bladder, their tongue hangs out and their face turn purple (Trombley 11). The intention of this was to break the person's neck and cut off the airflow but many times this did not happen and the criminal would die a slower death. When the air supply was not quickly cut off the victim dangled at the end of the rope until eventually died. During this time they were often kicking and struggling until they could not get enough oxygen which usually took up to thirty minutes before they were finally dead. It was a slow, painful, and torturing way to die (Eckhardt 2).

Hangings are defined as "cruel and unusual punishment" as they are very torturing...