Death Penalty

Throughout a large portion of history, torture was often associated with capital punishment. In ancient and medieval times, rulers created horrific methods of execution in order to ensure that their victims suffered a great deal while dying. Often these methods of murder were used as a means of entertainment for the ruler and spectators, and the death penalty was often exacted as a result of minor crimes or on the whim of the ruler.

Some of the common methods of killing a victim were decapitation, burning, and crucifixion. More appalling methods of execution were impalement, disembowelment, flaying, the breaking wheel, boiling, and necklacing. Many of these execution methods took an extremely long time to kill their victim.

Today, some of these methods are still practiced in underdeveloped countries or nations without a stable government. In the United States, capital punishment is rarely used, and when it is, it follows a long judicial process.

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