The Best And Worst Ways To Conduct Executions

The recent shortage of execution drugs in America inspired Slate writer John Kruzel to suggest the guillotine may be a more humane way to kill criminals than the lethal injection "cocktail" most frequently used in the United States.

It's impossible to know exactly how people feel when they're being executed. The guillotine does seem to have the least risk of painful complications, though. More modern tools for execution - like the electric chair - can cause prolonged agony if they malfunction.

This infographic shows what we do know about various execution methods, some of which are still in use today and some of which are not. Many people believe the death penalty is always abhorrent, but some methods of execution may be worse than others.