Picana
Encyclopedia
The picana or picana electrica is a device used to give an electric shock
during electrical torture.
The victim is undressed and then tied to a chair or table or hung upside down by the ankles. Often water is thrown over the victim to reduce the electrical resistance of the skin and to increase the effect of the shocks. Two people operate the picana. One adjusts the rheostat control to increase or decrease the voltage. The other holds the picana and applies its tip to sensitive places on the victim's naked body, such as the head, mouth, genitals, breasts and nipples.
The distinguishing feature of the picana is that the shocks are high voltage and low current. The high voltage means the shocks are ample but the low current means they are less likely to kill the victim, enabling longer torture sessions and many more shocks to be given than with higher current torture devices. According to an academic expert on torture, Professor Darius Rejali
of Reed College
, early models of the picana used over 50 years ago delivered between 12,000 and 16,000 volts at a current of a thousandth of an amp. By comparison the Taser
and other modern electric stun devices used by police forces deliver many times that voltage. As part of the usefulness of the picana arises from its high voltage, it is possible that more recent models use modern electronics for even higher voltage.
Precise details of the design are unclear. It is designed and manufactured specifically as a human torture device, the sale and use of which is illegal in most countries of the world. As it has no legitimate alternative use, the manufacturers and users of the picana do not publicise details of the devices.
The picana has a number of advantages as an instrument of torture:
As with all types of torture, the picana has been used as often to frighten and intimidate as to extract information during interrogation.
, a device developed for use as a goad in animal slaughterhouses. The picana is reported as having been used in Buenos Aires
, Argentina
, in 1932. The device was a notorious innovation introduced by police chief Polo Lugones, son of the famous poet and novelist Leopoldo Lugones
. Its use did not spread to other countries until the 1970s, when it was in use in Paraguay
, Bolivia
and Uruguay
.
There are said to be no reports of the use of the picana elsewhere in the world. Electrical torture has been and is used in many countries, but the equipment used does not include the picana. Even in South America, it appears not to have been used in Chile
, even though other electrical tortures such as the parrilla
were routine there in the 1970s and 1980s, during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet
.
Other high voltage devices such as the stun gun
or electroshock weapon that have a more legitimate use in law enforcement, for example for officer self-defence or for incapacitating violent suspects, are sometimes used illegitimately for torture. Although working on the high voltage and low current principle, these devices are different from the picana.
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
during electrical torture.
Description and use
The picana is a wand or prod that delivers a high voltage but low current electric shock to a torture victim. It has a bronze tip and an insulated handle, and is connected by wire to a control box with a rheostat to raise or reduce the voltage. Power is supplied by a car battery or by a transformer connected to a mains wall socket.The victim is undressed and then tied to a chair or table or hung upside down by the ankles. Often water is thrown over the victim to reduce the electrical resistance of the skin and to increase the effect of the shocks. Two people operate the picana. One adjusts the rheostat control to increase or decrease the voltage. The other holds the picana and applies its tip to sensitive places on the victim's naked body, such as the head, mouth, genitals, breasts and nipples.
The distinguishing feature of the picana is that the shocks are high voltage and low current. The high voltage means the shocks are ample but the low current means they are less likely to kill the victim, enabling longer torture sessions and many more shocks to be given than with higher current torture devices. According to an academic expert on torture, Professor Darius Rejali
Darius Rejali
Professor Darius Rejali is an Iranian-born American academic specialised on torture, who teaches political science at Reed College.- Biography :...
of Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
, early models of the picana used over 50 years ago delivered between 12,000 and 16,000 volts at a current of a thousandth of an amp. By comparison the Taser
Taser
A Taser is an electroshock weapon that uses electrical current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles. Its manufacturer, Taser International, calls the effects "neuromuscular incapacitation" and the devices' mechanism "Electro-Muscular Disruption technology"...
and other modern electric stun devices used by police forces deliver many times that voltage. As part of the usefulness of the picana arises from its high voltage, it is possible that more recent models use modern electronics for even higher voltage.
Precise details of the design are unclear. It is designed and manufactured specifically as a human torture device, the sale and use of which is illegal in most countries of the world. As it has no legitimate alternative use, the manufacturers and users of the picana do not publicise details of the devices.
The picana has a number of advantages as an instrument of torture:
- It is portable and can be used without complex installation, for example in anonymous surroundings or in the victim's home.
- It is cheap.
- The low current means the torturers can make a single session of torture last longer, in the hope that it will be more productive.
- The picana is easy to use – the control adjusts the severity of the shock and the prod enables the shock to be delivered precisely in the desired spot.
As with all types of torture, the picana has been used as often to frighten and intimidate as to extract information during interrogation.
Origins
The picana was adapted from the electric cattle prodCattle prod
A cattle prod, also called a stock prod, is a handheld device commonly used to make cattle or other livestock move by striking or poking them, or in the case of a Hot-Shot-type prod, through a relatively high-voltage, low-current electric shock...
, a device developed for use as a goad in animal slaughterhouses. The picana is reported as having been used in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, in 1932. The device was a notorious innovation introduced by police chief Polo Lugones, son of the famous poet and novelist Leopoldo Lugones
Leopoldo Lugones
Leopoldo Lugones Argüello was an Argentine writer and journalist.-Early life:Born in Villa de María del Río Seco, a city in Córdoba Province, in Argentina's Catholic heartland, Lugones belonged to a family of landed gentry...
. Its use did not spread to other countries until the 1970s, when it was in use in Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
.
There are said to be no reports of the use of the picana elsewhere in the world. Electrical torture has been and is used in many countries, but the equipment used does not include the picana. Even in South America, it appears not to have been used in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, even though other electrical tortures such as the parrilla
Parrilla
The parrilla is a method of torture where the victim is strapped to a metal frame and subjected to electric shock.-Name:The Spanish word parrilla means a cooking grill or barbecue of the type commonly found in South American countries...
were routine there in the 1970s and 1980s, during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
.
Other electrical prods
Reports can be confusing because the word picana is sometimes used to describe any prod or device used to administer electric shock during torture. Prods can be as simple as wire with the insulation removed from the end or a screwdriver with a wire attached to the metal shaft. While superficially similar to the picana, they use mains, or lower, voltage rather than the many thousands of volts of the true picana.Other high voltage devices such as the stun gun
Stun gun
Stun gun may refer to:*Electroshock weapon, an incapacitant weapon that momentarily disables a person with an electric shock*Directed-energy weapon, a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without projectile, if it causes unconsciousness...
or electroshock weapon that have a more legitimate use in law enforcement, for example for officer self-defence or for incapacitating violent suspects, are sometimes used illegitimately for torture. Although working on the high voltage and low current principle, these devices are different from the picana.
See also
- Use of electric shock for torture
- ParrillaParrillaThe parrilla is a method of torture where the victim is strapped to a metal frame and subjected to electric shock.-Name:The Spanish word parrilla means a cooking grill or barbecue of the type commonly found in South American countries...
- Electroshock weapon
- TortureTortureTorture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
- Tucker telephoneTucker telephoneThe Tucker telephone is a torture device designed using parts from an old-fashioned crank telephone. The electric generator of the telephone is wired in sequence to two dry cell batteries so that the instrument can be used to administer electric shocks to another person. The Tucker telephone was...
- Violet wandViolet wandViolet wands are modern electrical sexual or kink stimulation toys. They are used for the application of low current, high voltage , high-frequency, electricity to the body...