Pads are one of the most ancient instruments used to punish rebels and criminals. The first mention of them was the Old Testament, and in our time, they are still utilized on prisoners.
It consists of a log or board with holes for the legs, arms and head. In the Middle Ages, when the punishment was often a public event, a man would be pinned down in a humiliating and uncomfrtable position, and his feet made bare. Ever passerby could express a grievance or anger by tickling his feet.
Often he would be brutally ridiculed by the crowd moving by, as they threw mud, excrement, reviled, and spat on him. Additional humiliation came every time the prisoner experienced a natural need, because this, too, had to be done in public. Usually deserters, and those who broke their military vows, would be thrown into the stocks. Also, this kind of verdict became popular during the colonialization of America, and was used by the Puritans to maintain a hold over the lower strata of the population.
An interesting fact: In March 19, 2012 in South Africa, a case for public detention via stocks was made. The victims were a married woman of thirty years, Alfred Blanco Basilio, who committed criminal adultery with 18 guys. She was sentenced to a 72 detention.
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