# How much would tickets to an execution go for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890 "2011-01-25T06:42:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/1 "2011-01-25T06:42:57Z")
Anyone else ever wondered this? Here in the USA we haven’t had a public execution since 1936. States have very strict rules about who’s allowed to witness an execution (lawyers, family of the victim, family of the condemed, journalists, etc). And I imagine the observation rooms can only seat so many people. So what if a cashstrapped state decided to try and raise funds by selling seats? I imagine it wouldn’t raise all that much money (especially outside of Texas), but has anyone ever done any studies to see how much money the general public would pay to watch an execution? Or if not in person on PPV (any legal issues with that)? ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/2 "2011-01-25T07:10:31Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > I imagine it wouldn’t raise all that much money (especially outside of Texas) I imagine it would raise enough money to fix the deficits of several states. You really think people would not pay to see this? After the success of reality TV? I think they would be coming in droves. Not that it is a good idea on almost any level, but I wager they could fill stadiums. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/3 "2011-01-25T07:11:25Z")
Well it depends. Are you willing to dress it up a little? Have an MC tell a few jokes during the intro, have guys selling hot dogs and soft drinks, maybe a raffle, a souvenir stand - the whole carnival atmospere. Also people like to get value for money. Wheeling out a guy strapped to a guernsey and attached to a bunch of tubes, then having another guy flip a switch, waiting five minutes and then saying “Yup, he’s dead” - that’s not very entertaing. Drawing and quartering on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/4 "2011-01-25T07:22:34Z")
I read an article in the Washington Post years ago about executions in Virginia. After Texas, VA leads the US in executions. They have witnesses at them, mostly family members of both the victim and the condemned and journalists, law enforement, DAs, etc. But there are a number of open seats for the public. Basically, there is a small group of people who attend these executions as pretty much a pastime. Here is the article, but might require registration > **[Witnessing Execution a Matter of Duty, Choice](https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/09/AR2006120900923.html)** > > They couldn't take their eyes off the electric chair. They took it in piece by piece as they filed into the witness room: The leather restraints on the giant oak armrests. A long electrical cord coiling from the bottom across the slate gray death... ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/5 "2011-01-25T07:44:18Z")
[Here’s another item](http://orig.jacksonsun.com/fe/exec/witnesses.shtml) about public witnessing, which is a legal requirement in sixteen states. > [@Jackson (TN) Sun](#): > > Corrections officials, whose job it is to keep the bleachers filled, are finding it increasingly hard to keep up with the pace of executions. Last year, in January, the director of Arizona’s Department of Corrections, Terry Stewart, was scrambling to come up with the 12 civilian witnesses he needed to attend an execution just weeks before it was scheduled to take place. > … > Florida, like most states, can’t afford to be too discriminating when selecting witnesses. “They’ll call and say, ‘How do you get to see one of these?’” Crosby, the Florida prison warden, says. Prospective witnesses learn they have to be at least 18 years old and residents of the state and have no criminal record. Officials in Arizona and Virginia say they can’t recall ever rejecting a single application. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/6 "2011-01-25T07:55:29Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > Also people like to get value for money. Wheeling out a guy strapped to a guernsey and attached to a bunch of tubes, then having another guy flip a switch, waiting five minutes and then saying “Yup, he’s dead” - that’s not very entertaing. Fifty-fifty (some tubes placebos, others the real thing), Ask the Audience (that would be a real draw), Phone a Friend (of course the family, friends, the lawyer, but also - the governor, now that would be a real game!) And then you’ve got the hot seat and the catch phrase, “final answer”. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/7 "2011-01-25T08:35:58Z")
They could certainly make the game of Hangman more entertaining. We’re just a few short years from having The Running Man (both the book and movie versions) come to fruition. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/8 "2011-01-25T08:50:22Z")
One of the ringside “execution girls” walk around in a small bikini with a sign that it’s the first execution of the evening. Announcer: And standing in this corner with the record of three murders, one attempted murder, and one arrest, it’s the executeree. Give a big welcome to Jooooooooooooooooooooooooooohn “the Kniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiife” Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeendoooooooooooooooooooooooooooozaaaaaaaaaaa! Tonight’s execution brought to you by Bob’s knives. When you wanna stab someone, think Bob’s. Judge: I want a fair execution now, you hear? ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/9 "2011-01-25T08:52:59Z")
Maybe you could charge more/less, depending on the criminal? I mean, you’re probably going to get less draw for the guy who killed someone in a botched robbery than you would for the Acid Skull Maniac™ who murdered a hundred people. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/10 "2011-01-25T08:56:46Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Acid Skull Maniac™ Band name! Aw, you trademarked it. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/11 "2011-01-25T10:39:39Z")
I can already see Facebook pages dedicated to raise enough money so family members of a victim can afford the proposed price set by an execution ticket scalper. Ugh. But as others have pointed out, depends on who’s veins they’re going to pollute. I’m really not into the death penalty, but if Charles Manson ever got reinstated to have that done to him, you’re talking over a million bucks, man. People like Gacy, Bundy-- there would’ve been a record breaking charity auction to grab a SRO place. Perhaps even Jared Loughner could draw a decent price, but not from the Teabaggers, of course. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/12 "2011-01-25T10:45:38Z")
Depends entirely on who is being executed. There are at least two people from my past that I would pay as much as I could raise to witness their executions; I’d pay even more to be allowed to participate. The foregoing presupposes legality of said executions/participation. If it weren’t a personal issue with me, I wouldn’t pay a dime. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/13 "2011-01-25T13:16:38Z")
I wasn’t all that keen on being executed in the first place - if you’re saying I’ll now have to queue up for tickets to get it done, I’ll probably just not bother. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/14 "2011-01-25T14:06:56Z")
The only problem I could foresee is if the executions became too popular. A state is trying to get their budget balanced and they run out of gallows fodder, then what? Death penalty for traffic violations? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/15 "2011-01-25T14:11:50Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > an execution ticket scalper. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/16 "2024-05-25T15:19:54Z")
My apologies for reviving a zombie thread but a search for an unrelated topic revealed this gem from 2011: > [@blue\_infinity](#): > > … Wheeling out a guy strapped to a **guernsey** and attached to a bunch of tubes, then having another guy flip a switch, … I would pay big money to see this. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/17 "2024-05-25T15:28:49Z")
> [@tesseract](#): > > After the success of reality TV? The Execution Will Not Be Televised. > [@blue\_infinity](#): > > Wheeling out a guy strapped to a guernsey I always like to call them that, and always get the image. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/18 "2024-06-04T19:36:09Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > strapped to a guernsey [![](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/deseretnews/OBAE7HHK75F7PPFFBJMYTSG4BM.jpg) ](https://cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/deseretnews/OBAE7HHK75F7PPFFBJMYTSG4BM.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/19 "2024-06-04T19:40:19Z")
That works too. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890/20 "2024-06-04T19:44:33Z")
If I was the executee I would pay as much as I could to watch the execution from a safe distance, even or particularly if this made it the most boring and uneventful execution ever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-tickets-to-an-execution-go-for/568890.md?page=2)