Do you ever wonder why, a prisoner of death penalty is always executed before sunrise; neither in night, nor in daylight, but only before sunrise?
A Quora user raised a similar question and that is when the minds of other users started spinning.
A Capital Punishment or Death Penalty is given out to an individual who has committed a grave crime in the eyes of law. The ruling is a considered a constitutionally sanctioned practice under which a person is put to death, as a punishment.
In the eyes of law, certain crimes are enlisted as capital offences, for which the judge rules of death penalty. In some countries, the execution is carried out by beheading the prisoner and in some they are hanged till death.
These are only sentence when the crime is beyond forgiveness in the eyes of law. Implementing the sentence requires a set of protocol; one of which is the time of execution. The procedure of carrying out the execution is always carried out before sunrise.
And this happens for 4- Legal, Administrative, Ethical and Social, reasons.
Legal Reason
As the person is kept in a prison before the execution and the legal act is carried out in the jail premises, the Prison manual is followed. In India, where death penalty is still in force, 'Model prison manual for the superintendence and management of prisons in India' states - "The execution shall take place early in the morning before it gets bright. The latest time of the day for different seasons will be in accordance with orders passed separately by the Government”- Source: Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D)
Administrative Reason
“The execution being one of the most important task of the day for Jail authorities, is generally carried out in the morning. This would ensure that the other daily chores are not affected.”
“The hanging follows medical examination (conforming death), entries in various registers, notes and approval, handing over the dead body to the inmate's family. Carrying out the execution in the morning facilitates these tasks.”
Ethical Reason
“The inmate on death penalty should not be made to wait for the moment during the day. This would lead to immense mental agony on his part. His punishment is death penalty and not mental agony. He must be woken up few hours before the execution and after doing routine physical chores, and prayers (if any), he shall be taken to the gallows. This shall give enough time to the family of inmate to take his body to his native place and for preparing for his last rites.”
Social Reason
“Hanging of a person is big news for the affected society. To restrain the effect of the hanging on collective conscience of the society and to limit any social trauma or outcry, the execution is carried out before the society wakes up to the event.”
COMMENT