The form of a death sentence has a strong hold on the public imagination, and it is usually given a particular legal solemnity, partly to distinguish the considered judicial sentence from any routine or arbitrary act. The ensuing process to execution has also attracted customs which often attain virtually the force of law, ranging from the last cigarette before a firing squad, to the condemned man's hearty breakfast.
The forms of sentence and i...
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The form of a death sentence has a strong hold on the public imagination, and it is usually given a particular legal solemnity, partly to distinguish the considered judicial sentence from any routine or arbitrary act. The ensuing process to execution has also attracted customs which often attain virtually the force of law, ranging from the last cigarette before a firing squad, to the condemned man's hearty breakfast.
The forms of sentence and indeed execution have varied widely between jurisdictions and over time, and a wide range of other examples may be added to this obsolete British ceremony.
Upon conviction for a capital offence, the Judge usually had no discretion as to pronouncing sentence, whatever his wishes or intentions as to commutation or appeal. Nevertheless the question "Have you anything to say why sentence should not be passed according to the law?", theoretically intended for a plea in bar of jurisdiction, gave the convict a final opportunity of making a speech in...
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