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.

[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

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