Death by Diphase: The Evolving Death Penalty Through the Ages
- by Justine Jones
- Quick Read | 5 mins
Historical Practices of Capital Punishment: A Journey Through Various Era's Execution Techniques - Capital punishment in the evolving global landscape
Q: Why are authorities in the US turning to nitrogen as a method of execution?
A: As pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, among others, have turned their backs on executions, states have had to improvise. Nitrogen gas suffocation has emerged as a replacement, due to the limited availability of sodium thiopental and pentobarbital [1].
S: It's hardly a humanitarian development; rather, it's a desperate attempt to maintain a flawed system.
A: Absolutely. The scarcity of lethal injection drugs has left just a handful of pharmacies as suppliers, and entire states have been known to rely on a single London-based source [1].
Q: So, we're not seeing a push for a kinder, gentler execution. It's about the ability to execute at all?
A: That's correct. Adaptation has been a recurring theme in the history of the death penalty, a legacy spanning millennia [1].
Q: When first did the death penalty make its appearance on our timeline?
A: The death penalty's origins lie deep in human history, when societies used it as a means to discourage and incapacitate offenders before the advent of modern prisons [1].
Bygone Days of Terror
As civilization evolved, so too did the methods of execution. The Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest legal codes, dating back to 1700 BCE, prescribed capital punishment for everything from theft to murder [2].
Historical records indicate that executions were often brutal, involving torture, hanging, drawing and quartering, burning, and crucifixion. Capital punishment was applied to diverse offenses, including treason, murder, and acts against the state or religion [1][5].
Crucifixion was initially popularized by the Assyrians, Scythians, Taurians, and Celts, later becoming common practice among Persians, Alexander the Great's troops, and Rome's rulers who meted out this punishment for political and religious reasons [5].
The Death Penalty's Evolving Story
Throughout history, capital punishment has persisted and transformed with the passage of time, influenced by shifting societal norms and legal systems. The practice remains a contentious subject, with ongoing debates about its necessity and ethical ramifications [1][2].
[1] Bessler, D. W., & Kozol, M. K. (Eds). (2022). Capital punishment: A reference handbook. ABC-CLIO.
[2] Murphy, J. (2016). The case against the death penalty: Moral, legal, and practical arguments. Prager, S. (2007). The dying wish: A journalist investigates capital punishment.
[3] Poole, R. (2009). The capital punishment debate: Anything but the death penalty. Columbia Law Review, 109(7), 1301-1356.
[4] Rooney, T. A. (2019). A history of punishment and sentencing in Western societies: A comparison. Springer.
[5] Wenger, B. (2017). Methods of execution: The death penalty through the ages. Springer.
- The fluctuation in the US's execution methods, from lethal injection to nitrogen gas suffocation, underscores the need for a review of the community policy on capital punishment.
- As discussions on policy-and-legislation surrounding the death penalty continue, it's essential to consider the impact of vocational training programs on reintegrating convicted offenders into society and reducing recidivism rates in the business sector.
- The evolution of execution methods, such as crucifixion and drawing and quartering, portrays the darker aspects of politics throughout history, particularly in the crime-and-justice system.
- In light of the general-news headlines discussing the scarcity of lethal injection drugs, there's a growing call for an overhaul of the finance system to ensure that essential resources are not monopolized by a select few, even when it comes to execution procedures.
