JaXanim wrote:
As societies become more 'civilised' their death penalty becomes less brutal/painful/protracted/etc so one wonders what it actually achieves for these societies. In the past, the death penalty was purposely brutal/painful/protracted/etc in order that the recipient suffered dearly for this crimes and so his soul could be purged. That is the perception Western societies had at the time. The principle of cause and effect. Today, in our 'more civilised' societies, we try to dispatch the recipient in ways which minimise his suffering at all costs. In recent times, hanging was considered quick, the only suffering being in the preliminaries of binding, hooding and noosing. In the UK, these stages were refined into a matter of seconds by Pierrepoint, who I mentioned earlier. Florida's recent fiasco may actually bring a cessation of the death penalty because it's still not painless or quick enough. Clearly the motivation for and the 'value' in killing have changed. Today, the motivation seems to involve mainly revenge/deterance/economics/protection of society rather than 'penalty'. A penalty has to involve suffering by definition and if we mitigate against that the term 'death penalty' is meaningless. Perhaps the words 'final solution' come to mind.
Interesting thoughts, though you've discounted the stress of waiting on death row. Ultimately, civilisation has made executions a private, mysterious, though supposedly more humane affair, but brought with it the modern legal system, appeals, etc. Were I a guilty man on death row, I think I'd want it over with.
On the question of lethal injections: I've been put under general anaesthetic before and there was literally enough time to utter "Be gentle!" after it was administered before I blacked out. I had very little time to worry about what lay ahead. Why a lethal injection should take minutes before rendering the recipient unconscious (never mind half an hour) is a mystery to me.