The person is either strangled which can take a while or complete decapitation. With the firing squad execution a inmate is tied to a chair and blindfolded. Once the inmate is blindfolded the firing squad fires gunshots at a target that is attached to their chest.
The most common form of execution has been electrocution. With this method of execution a inmate is strapped to a chair along with electrodes attached all over his or her body. The electrocutioner then proceeds to throw the switch, which results in huge amounts of voltage flowing through the inmate's body. During this period of time the inmate burns and shakes cruelly from the amount of electricity; when it is over smoke can often be seen coming from the inmate's head.
Officials claim that this punishment is not cruel and unusual, but how can they defend this in the case of John Evans who was executed by electrocution in 1983? According to witnesses at the scene Mr. Evans was given three charges of electrocution over a period of fourteen minutes. After the first and second charges Mr. Evans was still conscious and smoke was coming from all over his body as a result of his flesh burning. An official there even tried to stop the execution because he thought of it as being cruel and unusual, but he was unsuccessful. Witnesses later called the whole incident a "barbaric ritual.".
Another method of execution is the gas chamber; with this process a prisoner is put in a closed chamber and forced to inhale lethal fumes from a chemical reaction. .
The latest method of executing inmates on death roll has been lethal injection. It is not considered cruel and unusual punishment by many people because of the fact that it does not cause struggles or harm the body like hangings, firing squads, gas chambers, or electrocutions. This method of executing is still barbaric, cruel and unusual. At the 1988 execution of Raymond Landry officials there had to repeatedly puncture him because he had very small veins.
