Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad is a method of
capital punishment, particularly common in times of
war. The firing
squad is generally composed of several
soldiers or
peace officers. The method of execution requires all members of the group to fire simultaneously, thus preventing both disruption of the process by a single member and identification of the member who fired the lethal shot. The condemned is typically
blindfolded or
hooded, as well as being restrained.
Executions can be carried out with the condemned either standing or sitting.
In some cases, one member of the firing squad is issued a weapon containing a
blank cartridge instead of one with a
bullet, without telling any of them to whom it has been given. This is believed to reduce flinching by individual members of the firing squad, making the execution process more reliable. It also allows each member of the firing squad a chance to believe afterward that he did not personally fire a fatal shot. This reinforces the sense of
diffusion of responsibility. While an experienced marksman can tell the difference between a blank and a live cartridge based on the
recoil (the blank will have much lower recoil), there is a significant psychological incentive not to pay attention and, over time, to remember the recoil as soft.
The firing squad is commonly used to execute
spies; the renowned
World War I spy
Mata Hari was executed in this manner. It is often considered a particularly honorable method of execution, and as such is intentionally not used for
war criminals, who are often
hanged — a penalty associated with common
criminals. In contrast, firing squads were used by some countries to execute war criminals after
World War II, most notably by
Poland,
Russia and
Norway.
The method is also the supreme punishment or disciplinary means employed by
courts martial for crimes such as
cowardice,
desertion or
mutiny. One such execution was that of
Private Eddie Slovik by the
U.S. Army in
1945. Slovik was the first U.S. soldier executed for desertion since the
American Civil War. It has also been applied for ordinary crimes carried out by soldiers, such as
murder or
rape. Also notably,
Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry was executed by firing squad for his participation in the assassination attempt on
President Charles de Gaulle.
Firing squads have also been used for
political crimes.
Romanian
Communist leader
Nicolae Ceauşescu (
25 December,
1989) is an example of this.
Execution by firing squad should be considered distinct from other forms of
execution by firearms, such as a single shot from a handgun to the back of the neck. However, the single shot (
coup de grace) is sometimes incorporated in a firing squad execution, particularly if the initial volley turns out not to be immediately fatal.
Main article: Capital punishment in the United States
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Restraint chair used in Utah's firing squad executions |
According to
Executions in the U.S. 1608-1987 by M. Watt Espy and John Ortiz Smylka, it is estimated that 142 men have been judicially shot in the United States and English-speaking predecessor territories since
1608, excluding executions related to the
American Civil War. The Civil War saw several hundred firing squad deaths, but reliable numbers are not yet available. Crimes punishable by firing squad in the Civil War included desertion, intentionally killing a superior officer or fellow soldier, and being a spy.
Capital punishment was suspended in the
United States between
1967 and
1976 as a result of several decisions of the
United States Supreme Court. The process resumed with the execution of
Gary Gilmore on
January 17,
1977 at Utah State Prison in
Draper. The five executioners were equipped with .308 caliber (7.62 mm) rifles and off-the-shelf
Winchester SilverTip ammunition. The subject was restrained and hooded. The shots were fired at a distance of 20 feet (6 m), aiming at the chest.
Mikal Gilmore in his autobiography stated that when he examined the shirt worn by Gary during the execution, he found five bullet holes, indicating that all members of the squad had been armed with live
cartridges, and none with a blank round.
The only other execution by firing squad (that of John Albert Taylor in
1996) also took place in
Utah.
In
Utah, the
firing squad (a 5 man team) consisted of volunteer peace officers from the county in which the conviction of the offender took place. A law passed on
March 15,
2004 banned execution by firing squad in Utah but, since that specific law was not
retroactive, four inmates on
Utah's
death row could still have their last requests granted. As of 2006,
Idaho and
Oklahoma are the only other states in which execution by firing squad is still legally available (as back up methods only; both states use
lethal injection as their primary methods of execution).
Main article: Capital punishment in the United Kingdom
Execution by firing squad in the
United Kingdom has been limited to times of
war, armed
insurrection, and within the
military.
Within the military,
Admiral John Byng was one of the most senior officers and the last of his rank to be executed in this fashion. He was shot on
14 March 1757 at
Portsmouth for "failing to do his utmost" in an encounter with the
French fleet during the
Seven Years' War. Australian soldiers
Harry "Breaker" Morant and Peter Handcock were shot by a British firing squad on
February 27,
1902, for alleged
war crimes during the
Boer War; many questions have since been raised as to whether they received a fair trial.
Following the
1916 Easter Rising in
Ireland, the 15 leaders were shot.
The
Tower of London was used during both World Wars for executions: During
World War I, 11 captured
German spies were shot, and on
15 August 1941 the German Corporal
Josef Jakobs was shot for espionage during
World War II.
Since the
1960s there has also been some controversy concerning 306
British and
Imperial troops — including 25
Canadian, 22
Irish and 5
New Zealand troops — who were shot for
cowardice during the First World War, many of whom are now thought to have been suffering from
combat stress reaction or
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (or "shell-shock" as it was then known). The New Zealand government
pardoned their troops in
2000; the British in
1998 expressed sympathy for the executed.
Capital punishment in the UK, including the military, was formally outlawed by the
Human Rights Act 1998 (s. 21(5)), although capital punishment for murder had been abolished before this, and there had been no executions by any method since
1964.
The traditional Scandinavian method of execution was
beheading with an axe. Last such execution in
Finland took place in
1825. Capital punishment was in practice abolished on civilian crimes 1828 by
Czar Nicholas I. Although the sentence was retained in law, it became a standard pratice to commute all death sentences to life deportment to Siberia. Capital punishment was taken in use again after
Finland became independent in
1917 and the deportation option was no longer in effect
[Äärimäinen keino käytössä (The extreme method in use) Yliopistolehti 1995 University of Helsinki magazine (in Finnish)]Death penalty was widely used during and after the
Finnish Civil War; some 9,700 Finns were executed or murdered during the war and in the aftermath
[War Victims of Finland 1914-1922 at the Finnish National Archives]. Of Most executions were carried out by firing squads after the sentences given by illegal or semi-legal court martials. Only some 250 persons were sentenced to death in courts acting on legal authority.
[Yliopistolehti 1995]During WWII some 500 persons were executed, half of them condemned spies. The usual causes for death penalty for Finnish citizens were
treason and
high treason (and to a lesser extent
cowardice and
disobedience, applicable for military personnel) . Almost all cases where capital sentence was given were carried out in court martials. Usually the executions were carried out by the regimental military police platoon, or in the case of spies, by the local military police. Most executions occurred in 1941 and during the Soviet Summer Offensive in 1944. The last death sentences were given in
1945 for murder but later commuted to life imprisonment.
[Yliopistolehti 1995]In
1949, the death penalty was abolished from Finnish law for crimes committed during peace time and for all crimes in
1972 [Kuolemantuomio kuolemantuomiolle at Statistics Finland (in Finnish)]. Finland is party to the Optional protocol of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, forbidding the use of death penalty in all circumstances
[Finnish public treaty number SopS 49/1991]*
Capital punishment in the United Kingdom*
Capital punishment in the United States *
Courts of the United Kingdom *
List of United Kingdom-related topics *
Court-martial*
Use of death penalty worldwide*
Firing Squad Execution of a Civil War Deserter Described in an 1861 Newspaper
