I think we'd have to take maintaining civil order more seriously before we could do that. Can you imagine "protests", and the civil obstructions? However, maintaining order is something our society needs to do much better, so I don't consider that a real reason not to do this.
The executions could also be televised while performed in a secure area to prevent interruption if necessary.
I am curious as to what benefits you feel our society would gain from public executions?
A vivid reminder of the consequences of very serious crimes?
A forum for the public to express it's agreement or disagreement with the verdict?
An opportunity for the victims to witness justice? Usually this can be accommodated in how executions are currently done as well.
I guess my real question is what do you feel is the benefit of having people be able to watch the execution itself? What benefit is there to giving some of these criminals one last public forum to spread hate and verbally attack their victims?
In many cases public executions have been a way for an oppressive government to instill fear in the people they rule over.
When ordered by a government (or judiciary) that does not consider itself responsible to and is not held responsible by the public, public executions are a demonstration of power over the public.
However, if the verdicts are unjust, such arrogant demonstrations of corrupt power are also a call to the public that they must defend themselves against such acts or risk facing the same fate.
There are benefits and drawbacks.
Personally, I'd likely not attend if there were public executions.
I have no wish to witness the idiots jeering for the sake of jeering even if they have no clue as to what crime the person committed. I also have no wish to see the bleeding-heart liberals rationalize the crimes and blame the victims.
I also have no desire to watch someone die, even someone who deserves that fate.
The only reason I would attend an execution is that I felt I had some duty to do so.
That's alot more complicated response than was my statement. LOL.
They had no problems maintaining civil order for many decades in this country. I think the shame of being a criminal has been largely lost in this society. For thieves and petty crimes, they should use public humiliation. How many car thiefs would re-offend if the sentence included being placed in stocks in front of the mall in pink underwear? How many hoodlums would be walking around looking to kill someone for being "dissed" if their buddies are hanging there, necks stretched and broken, in front of the courthouse.
You may look at it as the gov't exercising its power over the people. I look at it as society taking proper, and humiliating retribution against the filth that deserves no less.