Several thousand people are killed every year in the world. Peoples who have abandoned the practice of legalized killings are few. The death penalty is still provided for in the laws of states in which nine-tenths of the world's population lives. In many countries, mass and public executions are carried out, in some executions they are broadcast on television. Capital punishment causes a lot of controversy in modern society, but it makes no sense to judge the philosophical, moral, religious or legislative aspects of the problem without delving into the essence of what is happening. Drawing on the richest factual material, Martin Monestier - a well-known writer and journalist, author of numerous studies in the field of social anthropology - introduces readers to the main methods of the death penalty known from history and used today.