Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sn/tvradio/programmes/horizon/broadband/tx/executions/

Former Conservative member of parlement, Michael Portillo pushes his body to the brink of death in an investigation into the science of execution.

As the American Supreme Court examines whether the lethal injection is causing prisoners to die in unnecessary pain Michael sets out to find a solution which is fundamentally humane. To do so he examines the key methods of execution available today: he discovers why convicts can catch on fire in the electric chair, learns how easy it is to botch a hanging and inhales a noxious gas to experience first hand the terror of the gas chamber.

Armed with some startling evidence Michael considers a completely new approach. Will it be the answer? There is only one way of finding out - to experience it himself.

( keywords: hanging, decapitation, lethal injection, pavulon thiopental KCl, electrocution, gas chamber, hydrogen cyanide, hypoxia, inert gasses, oxygen starvation, undetectable painless killing )

This thread isn't intended to discuss the morality of capital punishment (which, in the end, will boil down to; "an eye for an eye + yeah, killing is seen as morally wrong by the bigger part of society, but revenge is a human emotion that needs satisfaction and we need some way to get rid of the scum")
but rather intended to discuss the techniques in this video to produce a more effective kill.

The BBC documentary can be found in my directory on the FTP.

128MB, 49min 13 sec, FLV

or online at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8068091823725414405

The BBC documentary can be found in my directory on the FTP.
128MB, 49min 13 sec, FLV or online at:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8068091823725414405&hl=nl
I cannot find any means of downloading it from that page of the Dutch site! Please tell us how it can be downloaded from there.

Excellent documentary... Thanks.

Either get it from his FTP folder or use Firefox to download from Google video. Or watch it without downloading. Make sure you have not eaten anything... Some scenes are a bit dreadful.

Did you notice that Robert Blecker, death penalty's advocate, is opposed to
the nitrogen method ? He thinks there should be some suffering and pain. An
older method, guillotine, wasn't discussed. That method is certainly fast.
I don't understand his objections to nitrogen. As a person who has lost a
relative to a brutal murderer I'm an advocate of the death penalty for the
most sadistic murderers and there are plenty. But even in wanting revenge
there's no reason to inflict pain. "Death" is the penalty.