Sentenced to death, what if you survive?

[Peter Langdijk]

This is not an simple yay or nay question, this is much more complicated.

Say for example you got sentenced to death by means of electric chair, be technically dead for a few moments, and then an aftershock reanimates you, are you then a free man?

You have been sentenced to death, and you technically died, so what happens?

Another example, you got sentenced to death by means of an firing squad, get shot in the head, and survive because it was an slow round (happend before so it's real), are you then a free man?

I have been thinking about this for 3 weeks now and still have not found an anwser.
Please give your opinion on this matter.

EDIT: fixt the typo's

 

[BonsaiK]

Actually "sentenced", not "sentanced".

And no, they'd just give you a second charge or whatever. It's happened before. Electric chairs rarely kill instantly, one reason why the US uses lethal injection now is it's more reliable.

 

[SwimmingRock]

*sentenced

Death is death, yo. Temporary doesn't count. If you're still breathing, you're not dead. Simple as that.

 

[Lyri]

Gotta die before you can fly, bro.

 

[Thaluikhain]

*sentenced.

And, no, you have to die. Though, what happens if there is an afterlife?

For me morally speaking too i support it in select situations due to prison over crowding and lack of funds.

Doesn't work, people tend to stay on death row for decades before they get through all teh mucking round before they can be executed.

 

[Jonluw]

Nope. For the same reason that you're not a free man if you escape from prison.
Their intention was to kill you. They failed. They won't give up that easily. There's no law that states that an inmate sentenced to death has to be killed instantly lest it be invalid.
After all, when you see people being executed by firing squads in movies, there's always some captain walking around the bodies with a handgun, shooting any stragglers.

 

[MrJKapowey]

Actually "sentenced". not "sentanced".

And no, they'd just give you a second charge or whatever. It's happened before. Electric chairs rarely kill instantly.

They did let you live if you survived, though as you say, not nowadays.

Say for example you got sentanced to death by means of electric chair, be technically dead for a few moments, and then an aftershock reanimates you, are you then a free man?

Another example, you got sentanced to death by means of an firing squad, get shot in the head, and survive because it was an slow round (happend before so it's real), are you then a free man?

First one, probably not. They'd just go to a higher voltage I guess.

Second one, probably not. They would just kill you quickly and humanely if that happened (I think). You'd probably be brain dead though.

If you were hanged then there was a custom which said that anyone who survived their hanging must've been chosen for a higher purpose, and was let off. I don't think that would happen now.

 

[Sarge034]

I would ask the said person this fool proof question.......

You were sentenced to death, are you dead?

 

[Leon Last Lord Shyle]

I think there used to be a law stating that if a man survived being hung he was given a second chance due to "god good grace" but in the modern age they will just flip the switch or pull the trigger again most likely

 

[Gigano]

I'm pretty sure that being sentenced to death means a sentence of putting a permanent end to the criminals life. Botched executions only lead to renewed attempts to carry out the sentence. Not that death penalty is a sensible sanction anyway.


...and not that the question is at all practically relevant. If we have to engage in preposterous legal speculations, I'd consider it of ever so slightly greater theoretical relevance - and more darkly amusing - to speculate on whether the legal definition of "infidelity" which is sometimes a factor that can ensure access to a quick/instant divorce without a waiting period includes relations with non-humans; or if you're temporarily stuck with a spouse who eyes the dog strangely a bit too often.

 

[SckizoBoy]

Not a fan of the death penalty... but fairly sure that after the means of execution these days, they have an ME on hand to make sure you're dead. If you're not: take 2.

(Correct me if I'm wrong, but) the only way to get off (from the being dead part as opposed to the sentence) is to have a stay of execution for whatever reason...

 

[Scout Tactical]

This is not an simple yay or nay question, this is much more complicated.

Actually, it is a very simple 'nay' question in the United States. In fact, in the olden days, when someone was sentenced to hang, they would specifically be said to "hang until dead".

Modern executions follow similar stipulations. There have been cases of people surviving the initial electric effects. The technicians were forced to leave the chair on and let it cook the living man to death. Shocking, to say the least. I believe smoke came out of his ears by the end.

Similarly, if something goes wrong in a modern lethal injection, the patient is administered increased dosages until they die.

 

[[.redacted]]

Isn't it lethal injection nowadays anyway?

But I reckon unless you survived a good 3 or so they'd just shock you again.
I suppose it depends on who's doing it; if they're the superstitious "if he survives, god did it" type, or if they're the "Imma make me some bacon" type - or anything in between.

Meh, I suppose there's probably been a case like this before,but if you can't find it by searching the net, it probably means they just shocked them again, so it ended up unremarkable.

 

[Wintermoot]

I,ll be free since the punishment has been executed

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

I look at it this way: You're sentenced to death. Death has an understood "permanent" status. Also, if you're sentenced to death, there's almost an understood forfeiture of the right to live in the mix as well. So, if you only technically died for a brief moment, you're now living, which isn't allowed since your sentence is death - a permanent death.

 

[Dr. Pepper Unlimited]

Sorry - double post. -_-

Delete please! <3


:3

 

[Macgyvercas]

Actually "sentenced", not "sentanced".

And no, they'd just give you a second charge or whatever. It's happened before. Electric chairs rarely kill instantly, one reason why the US uses lethal injection now is it's more reliable.

If I was ever sentenced to death, the I would try my hardest to get firing squad, as I feel it takes balls to stand in front of five or six guys with guns and say "HIT ME MOTHERFUCKERS!".

...and not that the question is at all practically relevant. If we have to engage in preposterous legal speculations, I'd consider it of ever so slightly greater theoretical relevance - and more darkly amusing - to speculate on whether the legal definition of "infidelity" which is sometimes a factor that can ensure access to a quick/instant divorce without a waiting period includes relations with non-humans; or if you're temporarily stuck with a spouse who eyes the dog strangely a bit too often.

Wait...What? Could you clarify please, cause I have no clue what you just said.

 

[A Distant Star]

It actually depends where you are. We dont have a death penalty here in Canada, but there are places where that scenario plays out and they just cook you again, and there are other places (France I'm looking at you.) where if survived your own execution it was considered divine intervention and you where set free.

PS: Yes I know France no longer has the death penalty, but that was a rule when it did.