Lab Report 2      [ executions F]

                                                                            Final Disposition Laboratory 

Gentlemen;
    Once again it is my pleasure to report the results of current research. We wish to report three methods that show much promise. One may be perhaps the high volume method we have been searching for to use in cases where the only objective is death while the other two are simple and inexpensive ones for use where a certain amount of suffering is desired or where a deterrent effect is required. As before I will give an overview of each along with a description of a typical execution using each method. Then I will give the post mortem results and recommendations for each.
    The first and most promising is a method that is so simple and easy that we are almost ashamed to claim it as the result of a research project. It may be a blind spot in the systems thought processes but our research has noted an historical unwillingness to make use of several simple cheap execution methods. Throat slitting is a prime example, although messy it is fast, humane, and certain but we could find very few examples of its use in formal executions. Perhaps the only modern one it the Pol Pot government in Cambodia. While it is not the method we are recommending it is a good example of the blind spot I was referring to. We reviewed several of these methods and settled upon perhaps the simplest one of all as the best answer to our needs. A simple blow to the back of the head at the junction on the spine with a baseball bat using a moderately powerful swing with a slight upward slant. Cycle times are so short that for the first time the execution is not the limiting factor in production rates. The victim is presented nude and blindfolded. With a complaint subject there is no reason for handcuffs or shackles. As she stands waiting in accordance with her instructions the blow is delivered. She will fall forward with no attempts to catch herself. There is a period of spastic tremors lasting about two minutes but no few other signs of life. Some exhibit attempts to breathe but they pass in a short time. There also may be uncontrolled movements of the arms and legs but this is fairly rare and are always transitory in nature. If maximum production rates are wished there is no real reason to wait for the cessation of these affects before loading the body for removal as there is no chance of recovery following such a blow. Even waiting for the end of movement the cycle times are on the order of three minutes with individual presentations. By using group presentations the times could be shortened drastically even if some form of restraint was  required.  
    The second method I wish to discuss is the crushing of the throat by using a lever. The victim is stood against a post or wall or any other solid structure that will support the back of the neck. Again there may be no need for anything but a blindfold unless it is wished for the expressions on the face during death to be seen and even then all that should be needed is a couple of strong helpers to hold her place for the few seconds the process will take. A lever about five feet long is mounted on a pivot just outside the shoulder and swung over so as to crush the larynx when it is pushed back past the other side of the neck. We have found a square steel cross section of one and a half inches seems to give the best results. All that is required is a fast push that depresses the structures of the neck back against the spine- approximately three inches. The combined speed and the crushing action will destroy the airway to the point where breathing is impossible even when the pressure is removed. We allowed the victim to fall and let her thrash about on the floor until death overtook her. This process generally took between  three and six minutes before consciousness was lost with death taking another fifteen to twenty minutes. It is an ugly lingering death that we feel is well suited to those worthy of such punishment or in cases where a strong deterrent effect is sought. There is much thrashing about and it is very clear that the pain and panic levels are extreme. It is common for the victim to severely claw her face and neck and the facial expressions must be seen to be believed.  The cycle time is in the neighborhood of twenty to thirty minutes which is only a little longer that slow hanging.
     The third method is one I mentioned in my first report. That is the use of the sealing foam we recommended for use is sealing the anus and urethra before execution. We experimented with it as a way of sealing the airway and we found it to be a simple and sure method. It is very similar in results to the throat crushing method I just described except somewhat faster due to a better and more complete closure of the airway. Unconsciousness arrives generally around the two minute mark and there is less movement following its onset. Otherwise the two methods are very much alike. We feel the crushing method is to be preferred simply because it is more painful and presents  a stronger deterrent value but the foam does have the advantage is ease of use and may be applied anywhere with no other requirements to be met in the way of equipment while still offering a fairly high level of suffering and deterrent. Cycle times of twenty minutes can be expected although due to the certainty of death they may be shortened by not waiting for the loss of a pulse but instead removing the body right after movement ceases. This would shorten the times to the range of  five to ten minutes.  
     The post mortem results of each are as follows- the blow to the back of the head at the juncture with the spine results in a crushing of the skull in conjunction with a severing of the spinal cord. The splinters of bone work with the depression of the skull to inflect severe damage to the brain. In most cases the damage is on a par with a large bore bullet but of course is localized to the area of impact instead of penetrating through the whole organ. This has no practical effect however as the local damage is more than enough to cause instant death. There is usually a small amount of bleeding from the ears, nose, and mouth but it is limited and easily cleaned  up. To a certain extent the amount of blood lost is affected by the force used  in the blow. It does not require a power hitter, indeed it is surprising how little force is required to insure a clean instant kill. We found it takes a few before the executioner acquires the proper feel but once learned can be easily repeated. The throat crush caused extensive damage to the larynx and nearby tissues. There is usually a fair amount if bleeding into the neck structures with some of it helping to close off the airway. While the airway is not usually totally sealed the air flow is restricted to the point where it cannot support life. It is felt that this is the reason for this method’s slow death and associated agony. We believe the square surface we settled on is responsible for the severe damage caused. Tests with round and smaller square crushing surfaces were inconstant and could not guarantee death with a simple crush of short duration. It is important however to insure that the force is centered in the larynx. Failure to do this will lead to less that the desired results and may not always kill. The foam was found to fill the entire oral cavity and often was found as far down as the larynx. We feel this is the reason for the faster death associated with its use. We feel this should cause its use to be restricted to those times when its advantages in simplicity and ease of use outweigh the easier death that will result. 
    Rest assured we will continue to strive for ever better ways to serve the needs of our justice system and once again I must praise all those who both work for me and those who support our efforts. 

                                                                                                John Hightower, Director