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Notes -
Setting aside that this is a false dilemma for the sake of a hypothetical, I would weight those based on just how distressing something was for an executioner and how painful for the condemned. I wouldn't torture someone for the sake of it being done by a simple flip of the switch instead of being something to face. Likewise, I wouldn't force an executioner to do a ridiculous long and grim proceeding for the sake of it being easier on the condemned. But really, this isn't a choice, we already have longstanding solutions that work just fine, with firing squads and hanging being the two most obvious.
In addition to what I wrote above about wanting people to face the reality of what they're doing rather than avoid it, another element that I think is important and ignored by both pro-death and anti-death penalty advocates is that the death penalty isn't a maximal punishment, it's a cap on what the maximal punishment can be. Many people (including those on the anti-death side!) say that they wish much worse on the worst offenders, and I frankly agree with the gut reaction, but setting the maximal penalty available as putting a heavy-caliber round through someone's heart is not intended to maximize punishment, but to offer the best justice possible while retaining the dignity of the executioner and society. Anything that slips in the direction of sterilization of the proceeding or just hurting the condemned more than necessary is based on a misunderstanding or disagreement on the purpose of the death penalty.
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