Trystan Casey
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The condemned person is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. While electrocution was historically used as a method of execution in several U.S. states, its use has declined in recent years due to concerns about its humanity and constitutionality. As of 2024, only a few U.S. states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution, and even in those states, lethal injection is typically the default method. However, some death row inmates continue to choose electrocution over lethal injection due to fears of feeling intense discomfort during the injection process.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Places that still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution | Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee |
| Year of the most recent execution by electric chair | 2020 |
| State of the most recent execution by electric chair | Tennessee |
| Number of states that have used the electric chair since 2013 | 1 |
| Number of inmates executed by electric chair in Tennessee since 2018 | 5 |
| Number of volts of electricity used in the electric chair in Tennessee | 1,750 |
| Number of volts of electricity used in the electric chair in Indiana | 2,300 |
| Number of volts of electricity used in the electric chair in Florida | 2,000 |
| Number of minutes of electricity used in the electric chair in Indiana | 17 |
| Number of jolts of electricity used in the electric chair in Indiana | 5 |
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What You'll Learn
- Inmates in Tennessee are increasingly choosing the electric chair over lethal injection
- Lethal injection is the primary method for executions in most states
- The electric chair was conceived in 1881 and first used in 1890
- The electric chair was ruled unconstitutional in South Carolina in 2022
- The electric chair is still an option for execution in seven US states
Inmates in Tennessee are increasingly choosing the electric chair over lethal injection
In the US state of Tennessee, death row inmates can choose the method by which the state will execute them. While the default method is lethal injection, an increasing number of inmates are opting for the electric chair.
Tennessee is one of six states where inmates can choose the electric chair, but it's the only state where they are doing so. Since 2018, five inmates have chosen to be executed by electric chair, the most recent being Nicholas Sutton in 2020. This is a notable shift, as no other state has used the electric chair since 2013, and Tennessee itself had only electrocuted one inmate since 1960 before this recent trend.
The choice faced by inmates in Tennessee is between a series of injections, one to sedate, followed by others that paralyze and stop the heart, and two cycles of 1,750 volts of electricity. Inmates are choosing the latter because they fear being frozen in place and experiencing intense discomfort while the drugs take effect. The sedative used in Tennessee's lethal injection protocol is midazolam, which expert witnesses have testified may not effectively prevent inmates from feeling pain. They argue that the three-drug combination would cause sensations of drowning, suffocation, and chemical burning while rendering them unable to move or call out.
This trend has sparked debates about the humane and constitutional methods of execution. While lethal injection is generally considered more humane and less violent, the electric chair offers a quicker death, and inmates in Tennessee are choosing it to avoid prolonged suffering. The US Constitution bans cruel and unusual punishments, and the debate continues over which method falls under this category.
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Lethal injection is the primary method for executions in most states
In a typical lethal injection procedure, the condemned person is strapped to a gurney, and two intravenous cannulas ("IVs") are inserted, one in each arm. Only one IV is necessary to carry out the execution, while the other serves as a backup. The needles and equipment used are sterilized, and the arm of the condemned person is swabbed with alcohol before the cannula is inserted. The specific lethal injection procedures, including the drug or drugs used, are kept confidential and are not publicly known.
The drugs used in lethal injections typically consist of pancuronium bromide (paralytic), potassium chloride (cardiotoxin), and sodium thiopental (anesthetic). Pentobarbital has also been used as a primary sedative in lethal injections in the US since 2010. However, due to a shortage of sodium thiopental, some states have switched to a one-drug method using only sodium thiopental.
While lethal injection is the predominant method of execution in most states, other methods such as electrocution, lethal gas, and firing squad are also authorized in some states. Inmates in certain states may have the option to choose their method of execution. For example, in Tennessee, death row inmates can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair, with the former being the default method set by state law.
The use of lethal injection as the primary method of execution has been subject to criticism, with some arguing that it is cruel and unusual punishment. Concerns have been raised about the operation of lethal injections by untrained personnel and the lack of guarantee that the condemned person will be unconscious during the procedure. Additionally, resistance from drug manufacturers has made it difficult to obtain the drugs typically used in lethal injections, leading some states to consider alternative methods.
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The electric chair was conceived in 1881 and first used in 1890
The electric chair was conceived in 1881 by Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New York dentist. Southwick's idea for the electric chair was conceived as a more humane alternative to conventional execution methods, particularly hanging. This idea came after witnessing a fatal accidental electrocution in 1881.
Southwick modified a dentist's chair and began experimenting on animals. He sought advice from Thomas Edison, whose company championed Direct Current (DC). Edison arranged for a chair to be built, powered by Alternating Current (AC), championed by his competitor, George Westinghouse.
The electric chair was first used in 1890 to execute William Kemmler, a German-American street pedlar who had murdered the woman he lived with in a drunken rage. The execution was carried out at Auburn Prison in New York State. The first attempt to execute Kemmler with 1,000 volts of AC caused unconsciousness but failed to stop his heart and breathing. A second attempt was made, using 2,000 volts of AC, which caused Kemmler's blood vessels under his skin to rupture and the areas around the electrodes to singe. Some witnesses reported that his body caught fire. The entire execution took about eight minutes.
Despite its historical significance in American capital punishment, the use of the electric chair has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, which is perceived as more humane. As of 2024, only seven US states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution.
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The electric chair was ruled unconstitutional in South Carolina in 2022
The electric chair has been a method of execution in the United States since 1890. It was conceived as a more humane alternative to hanging. However, in recent times, it has been largely replaced by lethal injection, which is also considered a calmer and less violent method.
In 2022, a South Carolina judge ruled that the state's use of the electric chair was unconstitutional. This decision sided with four death row inmates who argued that the execution method was cruel and unusual punishment. The ruling also applied to the state's newly created execution firing squad. South Carolina had adopted these methods due to an involuntary pause in executions caused by the expiration of lethal injection drugs in 2013. Pharmaceutical companies refused to sell more drugs to the state, and the state struggled to implement new execution protocols.
The ruling by Judge Jocelyn Newman stated that "In 2021, South Carolina turned back the clock and became the only state in which a person may be forced into the electric chair if he refuses to elect how he will die." She further added that the state had ignored advances in scientific research and evolving standards of humanity and decency.
The decision was expected to be swiftly appealed by the state, and the state Supreme Court had ordered Newman to issue her decision within 30 days. The state's last execution was performed in 2011, and only three prisoners in South Carolina had chosen the electric chair since lethal injection was made available in 1995.
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The electric chair is still an option for execution in seven US states
The electric chair, a device used for capital punishment through electrocution, is still an option for execution in seven US states. In 1881, New York dentist Alfred P. Southwick conceived of this execution method, which was first used in 1890. Electrocution was thought to cause death through cerebral damage, but it was later discovered that death primarily results from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest.
In the US, electrocution was the sole method of execution in Nebraska until the State Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 2008. Today, it is not used as the sole method of execution in any state. However, seven states still reserve the right to use the electric chair as an option for execution: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
In some states, electrocution is authorized as an alternative to lethal injection. For example, in Tennessee, death row inmates can choose between lethal injection and electrocution. Nationally, no other state has used the electric chair since 2013, but Tennessee has executed five inmates by electrocution since 2018. Inmates in Tennessee are increasingly choosing electrocution because they fear the discomfort associated with lethal injection.
However, the use of the electric chair has been controversial. In South Carolina, a court ruled in 2022 that electrocution and the firing squad violate the state constitution, arguing that they constitute torture and are "manifestly cruel and unusual" punishments. There is evidence that people executed by electrocution may remain conscious while they are burned, bruised, and suffocated, experiencing severe damage to the body before death.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, as of 2024, the electric chair is still an option for execution in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in the US. Firing squad, lethal gas, and hanging have also been used.
Inmates may choose the electric chair over lethal injection because they fear being frozen in place and feeling intense discomfort while the drugs take effect.
No, there is no evidence that electrocution produces an instantaneous or painless death. It causes severe damage to the human body and the person may remain conscious while they are burned, bruised, and suffocated.
Yes, in 2008, the Nebraska State Supreme Court ruled the electric chair to be unconstitutional. In 2022, a Richland County court in South Carolina also ruled that electrocution violated the state constitution.
