Modern Methods of Executing Condemned Prisoners: Elixir to Painful Killings?
Akingbehin Emmanuel Olugbenga

Abstract
There is no doubt, that the practice of capital punishment has attracted a barrage of global condemnation. The condemnation is principally because the older methods of execution like shooting, hanging, beheading and crucifixion inflict excruciating pains on the dying offenders, contrary to the prescriptions of the various international instruments. Against the backdrop of the litany of recriminations, some developed retentionist nations invented and adopted the use of some modern methods like electrocution, gas chamber and lethal injection. These modern methods were perceived by the inventing nations to have the advantage of killing swiftly and inflicting minimum pain. This article critically analyses the modern methods of electrocution, gas chamber and lethal injection. The author appraises the history, the practice and the challenges of each of these methods. The article revealed that all the modern methods inflict excruciating pains on the dying offenders, especially as a result of botched executions. The author concludes by making a recommendation for an outright abolition of capital punishment.

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