Hanging, a Brief Overview
Execution by Judicial Hanging
There are 4 types of judicial hanging, these are:
- The short drop
- Suspension hanging
- Standard drop
- Long drop
The Short Drop
Until 1850, the short drop was the main method of hanging. This was achieved by placing the condemned prisoner on the back of a horse drawn cart or on horse back, which is then removed leaving the prisoner hanging. Death was by strangulation which could take up to 20 minutes.
The Standard Drop
The standard drop came into use in 1866. It involves a drop of 4-6 feet (1.2-1.8m). This method was considered to be more humane than the short drop as the distance had been calculated to be sufficient to ensure the neck was broken causing paralysis and immobilisation of the condemned with death following quickly.
The Long Drop
The long drop was determined by William Harwood in 1872. The height, weight and strength of the condemned was measured and then used to calculate the amount of slack in the rope required to ensure the neck of the condemned was broken without decapitation, which had been a problem in the past. One of the most recent and high profile decapitations occurred during the execution by judicial hanging of Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti in Iraq in 2007 following the overthrow of the regime of Saddam Hussain.
Suspension Hanging
Suspension hanging occurs when a ligature is applied to the neck and the body is lifted. This method of hanging is still used in Iran for public hanging.
Hanging can lead to death by 1 or more of the following conditions
- Closure of the carotid arteries causing cerebral ischemia (insufficient blood flow to the brain to maintain metabolism)
- Closure of the jugular vein
- Induction of carotid reflex which leads to cardiac arrest
- Breaking of the neck
- Closure of the airway
In Britain, hanging as a form of judicial execution is believed to date back to the Anglo Saxons and until the passing of the Capital Punishment (amendments) Act 1868, hanging was a public spectacle.
In London the traditional site for hanging was Tyburn, a small village on the Middlesex borders, now the site of Marble Arch, Oxford Street, London. The gallows were used on 8 handing days a year until 1865 when the site for execution was transferred outside Newgate Prison which is now the site for the Old Bailey, the central criminal court.
The last men to be hung in Britain were Peter Anthony Allen and Gwynne Owen Evans who were executed on August 13, 1964.
The last working gallows stood within the walls of HMP Wandesworth until it was dismantled and reconstructed in the Galleries of Justice, Nottingham in 1994.
Sources:
- Collins English Dictionary
- BBC History on line
- Galleries of Justice Museum, Nottingham
- Encarta
- Encycolpaedia Britannica
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