Random anecdote, accurate as of about 20 years ago?
My father worked for the Sheriff's Office in Melbourne, Australia.
The Sheriff's Office isn't like it is in the US. More something akin to bailiff meets US Marshal (enforcement of court orders, often time fines).
Anyway, being that Australia was still in the Commonwealth and such, his boss, the Sheriff, was still technically the executioner of record for capital crimes in Australia. Australia hasn't hung anyone since 1967, but technically still will/can for two crimes: high treason and piracy on the high seas.
His boss told him 1) that he was required to keep a noose or rope for it in his office, and 2) that to him, in the event of anyone even being charged with one of those crimes, the very next thing he would do would be: resign.
Random anecdote, accurate as of about 20 years ago?
My father worked for the Sheriff's Office in Melbourne, Australia.
The Sheriff's Office isn't like it is in the US. More something akin to bailiff meets US Marshal (enforcement of court orders, often time fines).
Anyway, being that Australia was still in the Commonwealth and such, his boss, the Sheriff, was still technically the executioner of record for capital crimes in Australia. Australia hasn't hung anyone since 1967, but technically still will/can for two crimes: high treason and piracy on the high seas.
His boss told him 1) that he was required to keep a noose or rope for it in his office, and 2) that to him, in the event of anyone even being charged with one of those crimes, the very next thing he would do would be: resign.
I thought it was a firing squad execution, televised for everyone to see and enjoy.
>It would be almost certainly lethal injection, not hanging
You probably didn't mean it that way, but "almost certainly lethal injection" is indeed what we use today.
In a normal world, lethal injections almost certainly would not be used[1].
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/christa-pike-tenne...