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Deter individuals from defying laws or authorities
- The purpose of such displays has historically been to deter individuals from defying laws or authorities. Attendance at such events was historically encouraged and sometimes even mandatory. Most countries have abolished the death penalty entirely, either in law or in practice.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_execution
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A public execution is a form of capital punishment which "members of the general public may voluntarily attend." [ 1 ] This definition excludes the presence of only a small number of witnesses called upon to assure executive accountability. [ 2 ]
Hangmen and other government officials concerned with executions in Britain spoke with awe of the “Goodale Mess” – the hanging of a man called Goodale, at which the prisoner’s head was jerked right off the body – and one of their terrors was that, because of some slight oversight, it could be easily repeated.
Aug 20, 2019 · Public executions were a deterrent, a vengeful enactment of moral justice and a morbid form of entertainment but in the 19th century, many western nations began moving their gallows behind grey prison walls. Why this decision was taken is hotly debated, but it wasn’t due to dwindling public interest.
15 August 1941: Josef Jakobs, a German spy, was executed by firing squad, the last execution in the Tower of London. 25 June 1942: Gordon Cummins , the "Blackout Ripper", was hanged at Wandsworth Prison .
Their execution which took place on the flat roof of the prison gatehouse was attended by a huge crowd, estimated at between 30 and 50,000 people. It was reported that some of the wealthier women present, used opera glasses to get a better view of the proceedings.
One of the most well known forms of execution, traditional hanging was still very commonplace in the Middle Ages. Someone could be hung for various different reasons, from the petty thief to an esteemed Nobleman.
Anne Boleyn’s beheading at the Tower of London has stuck in the public imagination for centuries, and our fascination with executions has endured for even longer. Human history is littered with examples of people taking a trip to the local town square to watch some nobleperson or enemy of the state lose their life.
