He was never allowed, he just did it anyway to prove a point, that he could do what he wanted with no consequences and scare spectators into submission through fear, intimidation, and forceful punishment. He gets away with this due to the inherent prejudices found within a lot of the people, especially the main detective character, who stand by and do nothing in eerie silence so long as it's not their own neck on the line.
The moment that shoe is executed, we see a spark of "humanity?" in Bob Hopkins's character, who's beginning to question his entrenched beliefs and worldview.
~~/o/
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