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Hanging Until
the 1890s, hanging was the primary method of execution used in the United States.
Hanging is still used in Delaware and Washington, although both have lethal injection
as an alternative method of execution. The last hanging to take place was January 25, 1996 in Delaware. For
execution by this method, the inmate may be weighed the day before the execution,
and a rehearsal is done using a sandbag of the same weight as the prisoner. This
is to determine the length of 'drop' necessary to ensure a quick death. If the
rope is too long, the inmate could be decapitated, and if it is too short, the
strangulation could take as long as 45 minutes. The rope, which should be 3/4-inch
to 1 1/4-inch in diameter, must be boiled and stretched to eliminate spring or
coiling. The knot should be lubricated with wax or soap "to ensure a smooth sliding
action," according to the 1969 U.S. Army manual. (The Corrections Professional,
1996 and Hillman, 1992) Immediately
before the execution, the prisoner's hands and legs are secured, he or she is
blindfolded, and the noose is placed around the neck, with the knot behind the
left ear. The execution takes place when a trap-door is opened and the prisoner
falls through. The prisoner's weight should cause a rapid fracture-dislocation
of the neck. However, instantaneous death rarely occurs. (Weisberg, 1991) If
the inmate has strong neck muscles, is very light, if the 'drop' is too short,
or the noose has been wrongly positioned, the fracture-dislocation is not rapid
and death results from slow asphyxiation. If this occurs the face becomes engorged,
the tongue protrudes, the eyes pop, the body defecates, and violent movements
of the limbs occur. (The Corrections Professional, 1996 and Weisberg, 1991)
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