StocksFrom Wikipedia the free encyclopediaFor other uses see stock (disambiguation)Spes or Hope engraving by Sebald Beham German c1540Stocks are devices used since medieval times for public humiliation corporal punishment and torture The stocks are similar to the pillory and the pranger as each consists of large hinged wooden boards the difference however is that when a person is placed in the stocks their feet are locked in place and sometimes as well their hands or head or these may be chained Also some modern versions used in sexual play within the BDSM community have small strings to hold the toes in place The victim is in a sitting positionWith stocks boards are placed around the legs or the wrists whereas in the pillory they are placed around the arms and neck and fixed to a pole and the victim stands However the terms can be confused and many people refer to the pillory as the stocksThe practice of using stocks continues to be cited as an example of cruel and unusual punishment
