Ep. 168: chasing the humane execution

Rather than abolishing the death penalty, the U.S. is apparently still pioneering new ways to do it. We discuss some of the ways people have tried to make the death penalty less brutal, and why it never works.

Highlights:

[0:00] Mark tells CoRri about Operation Paperclip
[24:40] We discuss WWE and why Mark finds himself watching more of it at the worst possible time
[41:00] What we watched! (El Conde, Anatomy of a Fall, Night Swim, The Ring, Nazi Town USA, Chowchilla)
[74:39] We talk about the idea of humane execution

Stuff we referenced:

• The Long, Fraught History of Human Execution Techniques | Discover Magazine
• Description of Each Execution Method | Death Penalty Information Center
• Nitrogen gas execution: how it works and why it’s controversial | Alabama | The Guardian
• Nitrogen hypoxia used to execute Alabama’s Kenneth Smith: What to know
• Smith strapped to gurney hours before failed execution, attorneys say
• Death Penalty Evolution Map: How Executions Have Changed in States | The New Republic
• Beccaria – “On Crimes And Punishments” – Criminology Web
• A humane death or a lethal experiment? How Alabama’s controversial nitrogen execution works | US News | Sky News
• Introduction: A Global History of Execution and the Criminal Corpse – A Global History of Execution and the Criminal Corpse – NCBI Bookshelf