FRED A. LEUCHTER ASSOCIATES, INC.
EXECUTION BY HANGING
MANUAL
STATE of DELAWARE
Department of Correction
State of Delaware
Delaware Correctional Center
Smyrna, Delaware 19977-1597
May 1, 1990
Fred A. Leuchter Associates, Inc.
231 Kennedy Drive
Unit 110
Boston, Massachusetts 02148
(617) 322-0104
CONTENTS
Page
BACKGROUND................................................1
MEDICAL DESCRIPTION.......................................2
PURPOSE...................................................2
EQUIPMENT.................................................3
PERSONNEL.................................................5
PREPARATION...............................................5
EXECUTION PROCEDURE.......................................7
SPECIAL PROTOCOL..........................................9
APPENDIX.................................................10
DRAWINGS & TABLES
1. DROP DISTANCE TABLE
2. DIAZEPAM DOSAGE TABLE
3. PROCEDURE FOR TYING HANGMAN'S KNOT.
APPRECIATION
The author wishes to express his thanks to the Command of the
U.S. Army Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas,
whose help was invaluable in the preparation of this Manual.
EXECUTION BY HANGING
BACKGROUND
Hanging has been utilized as a mode of execution for as long
as man can remember, There have been more executions by this
method than any other means. The procedure is simple; and
yet there have been more botched executions by this method
than by any other.
Essentially, execution by hanging is strangulation, effected
by restricting the executee's air supply at the neck,
unconsciousness occurring between two and four minutes and
death within ten, resulting in death by asphyxiation. This,
however, is not humane.
The correct procedure is when the executee is dropped some
distance and stopped by a rope fastened around his neck. The
force of this drop and stop breaks the bones in the
executee's neck and severs his spinal cord causing him to go
into medical shock and be rendered unconscious. At this
point the executee strangles to death. This method is the
only humane form of hanging.
The force (in foot pounds) of the drop is critical and is
determined by the physical stature of the executee, primarily
his weight. In general, the heavier the person, the shorter
the drop, and conversely, the lighter the person the longer
the drop. Generally, weights as low as 120 pounds result in
a force of some 950 foot pounds where weights over 220 result
in some 1100 foot pounds. A drop of too short a distance
will result in a condition where the spinal cord is not
severed and the executee will not go into shock and will be
conscious during the strangulation period. A drop of too
long a distance will result in decapitation. Both conditions
are not humane. In general, execution requirements will
never result in an execution where the inertia of the drop
will greatly exceed l600 foot pounds or be less than 900 foot
pounds. In all cases, it is better to utilize an established
Drop Distance Table to prevent an error or accident.
The Drop Distance Table contained herein is the established
Table utilized successfully by the United States Army for
many years. Additionally, the specifications for some of the
specialized hardware defined herein are resultant from many
years of testing by the United States Army.
MEDICAL DESCRIPTION
The executee will be dropped a distance as defined in the
Drop Distance Table and his acceleration will be stopped by
the rope around his neck. This will result in the breakage
of several neck bones and the severing of the spinal cord
within a time period of less than a second. The executee
will immediately enter medical shock. He will probably
experience one brief instant (measured in milliseconds) of
pain before he loses all consciousness and all sensation.
His body will go limp with paralysis. He will then strangle
due to the lack of oxygen. He should be brain dead in
something more than six minutes and heart dead in about
eight. The attending medical doctor will determine heart
death.
Depending upon the equipment used, there will be some
physical trauma to the executee's body. This should be
minimized by using the defined equipment.
PURPOSE
This Manual, the Protocol, Procedures and Equipment contained
herein were written and designed to ensure a competent and
humane execution. The equipment and procedures have been
taken from long-standing and well-tested protocol and changes
and improvements were made based upon expert engineering and
medical considerations. It is the author's intent to make
the execution as easy and painless as possible for both the
Executee and those persons tasked with carrying out the
execution. The Protocol, Procedures and the Equipment have
been designed to maintain the dignity of the executee, as
well as, the
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