How a Hanging is Supposed to Work

www.livescience.com ^ | 15 January 2007 | Maria Cheng

[Vote 4 Nixon]

LONDON (AP)—There is nothing kind or gentle about a hanging. It is a process scientifically designed to break the neck and choke a person to death as efficiently as possible. In the recent Iraqi executions, former president Saddam Hussein and two of his accomplices, his half brother and the former head of Iraq's Revolutionary Court, were hanged from a gallows.

In such judicial hangings, the victims are typically dropped a distance greater than their height through a trapdoor. At this point, the rope becomes rigid, and the force of the noose should break the victim's neck, causing immediate paralysis and unconsciousness.

The procedure causes a classic "hangman's fracture''—a break between the head and the neck, effectively snapping the upper cervical spine. In most cases, the victim dies of asphyxiation.

Though nobody really knows how long it takes a person to die from hanging, experts say it is probably anywhere from a few seconds to a couple of minutes.

In judicial hangings, as opposed to suicides, there is significant damage to the spinal cord. If the victims fall more than the prescribed distance, they may even pick up enough speed that the noose itself decapitates them, as happened Monday to the former Iraqi dictator's half brother Barzan Ibrahim. In rare cases, intense fear can cause the victim to die of cardiac arrest.

[Vote 4 Nixon]

Sure as hell, those guys at South Park are gonna have this in an episode. They had Steve Irwin in an episode with a stingray hanging out of his chest.

[pnh102]

Saddam hanged quite a few people when he was in charge. I am sure these human rights losers were there to make sure that the ropes were "just right", right?

[Argus]

"Depend upon it, sir. When a man knows he is to be hanged in the morning, it concentrates the mind wonderfully."

- Samuel Johnson (roughly)

[stm]

Judas freakin' priest, how long are these idiots going to obsess about this????

Saddam is dead, his brother in law is dead. Others in his regime are dead. They got hanged. One guy lost his head over it. Deal with it.

You would think his was the first hanging in over 500 years

[laweeks]

"One guy lost his head over it. Deal with it. You would think his was the first hanging in over 500 years"

I agree completely. Dead is dead. If they want to talk about gruesome ways to die, then let's analyze "partial-birth abortions".

As the liberals would say, "It's time to move on."

[dirtboy]

I think they should have used lethal injection on Saddam.

They should have injected him into a shredder.

[Arm_Bears]

Perhaps Ms. Cheng would prefer the guillotine.

[CougarGA7]

So they are in a fit because there is still oxygen in the brain and therefore the hanging person suffers?

Ok, lets look at this analytically then.

There are only two ways people die (that I can think of).

1. Lack of oxygen to the brain.
2. An overdose of kinetic energy.

Next time they should just crush their heads with a tank. that eliminates the oxygen in the brain complaint.

[SerpentDove]

>>how long are these idiots going to obsess about this????<<

The President decided to chime in and keep it stirred up by denouncing the way Saddam was hanged. It's in today's news.

[calex59]

The President decided to chime in and keep it stirred up by denouncing the way Saddam was hanged. It's in today's news.

An obvious attempt to suck up to the liberals, very dissapointing that he would comment on it all and especially in a negative mode.

[SerpentDove]

>>An obvious attempt to suck up to the liberals, very dissapointing that he would comment on it all and especially in a negative mode.<<

I agree. But I wasn't surprised, were you?

[calex59]

Nope, not surprised at all.

[Vicomte13]

Bush should have kept quiet about it.

[tearlenb]

Death by tank would've been nice. There was a movie about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that had a good example of death by tank. I think it was Beast of War (1988?).

And really, why are they complaining? I mean, there is no polite and easy way to kill a person (not that Saddam and co. deserved a quick death). Hanging probably is less painful than a massive heart attack.

[Non-Sequitur]

Ain't science fun?

[lilylangtree]

Saddam's hanging occurred while I was in a remote location during the holidays so I didn't hear about it until several days after the fact. Question: why hang him? why not lethal injection to counteract any human rights protestations?

[CougarGA7]

You will get no arguement from me there. Personally, I dont care how they kill them just so long as it gets done. Hanging is as good as anything. Though an overdoes of kinectic energy is more exciting to watch.

[Vote 4 Nixon]

MIAMI, Dec. 14 — A convicted murderer was put to death by lethal injection on Wednesday, but he took more than a half-hour to die and required a second dose of the chemicals, prompting Gov. Jeb Bush to call for a review of the execution.

The convict, Angel N. Diaz, 55, was pronounced dead at 6:36 p.m., 34 minutes after receiving the first lethal injection at the Florida State Prison in Starke, 23 miles northeast of Gainesville. Normally, death occurs within 15 minutes.

Witnesses said Mr. Diaz appeared to be moving after the first injection was administered, seemingly squinting and grimacing, at times appearing to mouth words.

NYT - 15 Dec 06
~~~~~
Fox News has an article stating that the needles were inserted through the vein and into soft tissue.

[Vote 4 Nixon]

That's why.

[Calvin Locke]

I think the US Army has a procedure for hanging. Guidelines based on weight for adjusting the drop and if weight needs to be added to the hangee, in order to make sure, er, help make sure, the hanging is effective, quick, and without the loss of the head. For the average person.