The Real Harm of a Public Execution

Public executions have not been carried out in the United States since the 1930s, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. He announced that the country will soon conduct its first public execution since then, to be streamed live. The condemned man is former Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. The rationale given by Hegseth for this practice is to showcase the "serious consequences" of treason.

However, the author argues that watching an execution, even of a guilty man, is harmful to the viewer. The experience diminishes the viewer's humanity and dignity, treating a human being like a machine to be turned off or destroyed. The author notes that many past criminals have been executed publicly, often with gruesome displays of violence.

While some may find such punishments entertaining, the author believes that the experience of watching a person die is profoundly damaging. The author suggests an alternative to public execution: public incarceration, with a Pentagon-funded livestream of the condemned man's remaining years. This approach would make the punishment more frightening and serve as a deterrent, without causing irreparable harm to the spectator.