Why executions at midnight

Approximately 20, people gathered around the gallows to witness the execution. After 14 minutes, his body was taken down and he was confirmed dead. This was the last public hanging ever performed in the United States. So what does any of this have to do with executions being held at midnight?

Interestingly, the fact that people preferred day time executions actually appears to be one of the chief reasons executions were, for a time in the United States, initially switched to late night, giving us the Hollywood trope that has largely endured to this day.

The earliest examples of this change occurred in the late 19th century as certain states began looking to curtail the spectacle that was public executions. They were trying to get rid of the mob atmosphere that attended these public executions. The fix was easy- simply move the execution time to an hour when most people are sleeping, getting rid of the boisterous crowds and accompanying extra media coverage. Now, given the switch to banning public executions completely, you might at this point be wondering why the nighttime time slot endured and became popular enough for a time to become a common trope?

One of the principal reasons often cited is simply to cut down on potential for more red tape in certain cases. While there are exceptions, in many states in the U. If the execution is not carried out on the specified date, another warrant would be required which, as you might imagine for something as serious as killing someone legally and ensuring the executioner cannot be charged for murder , this is a lot of paperwork and not always a guarantee. By starting at midnight, it gives the full 24 hours to work through potential temporary stays of execution, if any, before the time slot has ended and a new death warrant must be procured.

That said, perhaps more importantly, and a reason cited by many a prison official, is simply the matter of staffing. Executions performed at the dead of night see the inmates locked up in their cells, with minimal guard presence needed. Further, some normal staff can easily be diverted to handling various aspects of a nighttime execution without taxing the available worker pool, a key benefit given prison systems are notoriously understaffed in the United States.

All this said, contrary to popular belief, midnight executions are not really much of a thing anymore. There are a variety of reasons for this, but principally this is as a courtesy for the various people processing and working on the appeals. Arguments for a switch in time slot have also been made on behalf of the loved ones of both the condemned and victims.

These people were formerly made to arrive a couple hours before the execution at midnight, and would then have to stay until after it was carried out if they wanted to witness it. Even with no delays, this tended to see them not processed out the door until a few hours after midnight.

There is also the issue of overtime. Texas changed its execution time in , moving it from midnight to 6 p. Saving overtime pay Ohio quit midnight executions in partly to save thousands of dollars in overtime to prison workers.

Daytime executions were the norm in earlier eras. That changed by the s when the U. Executions then moved indoors and electric chairs came into widespread use. They were trying to get rid of the mob atmosphere that attended these public executions.

Little said Tennessee's first modern execution in was scheduled at 1 a. He noted the early hour also allows the state to hold multiple executions on the same day if necessary.

The state planned back-to-back executions of convicted killers Paul Dennis Reid and Sedley Alley in Alley became only the second person executed in Tennessee in 45 years, but Reid got a last-minute stay and remains on death row. Tennessee plans three more executions this year besides Henley's this year, all set for an hour after midnight.

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