Arco-Flagellants are human beings who have been condemned by Imperial justice to death, but whose crimes are not so severe that they are behind all hope of redemption. Such criminals will be put to a merciful death after a lengthy and extremely excruciating ritual of torture intended to purify their souls, so that they may still find peace alongside the Emperor of Mankind in the afterlife. The sentence of Arco-Flagellation is only delivered to criminals on technologically advanced worlds due to the advanced resources it requires.