Torture and punishment

The study of punishment and torture is horrible. Mankind has always been a cruel and unusual species of animal, and when Kings and the law of their courts required a confession in order to exact guilt (and thereby place a sentence of death), torture was the first thing that came to mind. It's probably of no surprise that the majority of historical tortures have been undertaken to curb religious differences, and for other religious reasons. As old as civilization itself, the torturing of an individual by another has a primordial satisfaction to it. Physical human suffering strikes a cord of bloodlust into most people whether they admit it or not, so to create the quintessential spectacle of pain and agony would be a near sexual experience for viewers and, most especially, the torturers. (Montanaro, 1)
Execution has been a common punishment throughout the world since the Middle Ages, and was inflicted for a large number of crimes including petty offenses involving property. In England, ...