Otis Singleton
The electric chair, once the primary means of execution in the US, has been largely replaced by lethal injection. As of 2024, only seven US states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution. Nationally, electrocution is considered outdated, but several inmates in Tennessee have chosen it over lethal injection. Lethal injection is preferred as it is considered more humane, but resistance from drug manufacturers has meant that some states have had to revert to older methods.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is the electric chair still used for execution? | Yes, but it is a method of the past. No other state has used it since 2013. |
| Where is it used? | Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee. |
| Why do inmates choose electrocution? | Inmates fear being frozen in place and feeling intense discomfort while drugs work to kill them. |
| Is electrocution humane? | No, it is a painful process. |
| Why is it not humane? | The current does not always pass through the heart, so the brain remains active for a moment, causing extreme pain. |
| Is it an instant death? | No, it is an "iffy" method of execution. |
| Why isn't it instant? | There are variables in people and conditions, and there's even luck involved based on heart rhythm when the electricity is applied. |
| What is the history of the electric chair? | It was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. |
| How many states previously used the electric chair? | By 1949, it was the method of execution in 26 states. |
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What You'll Learn
- The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 as a humane alternative to hanging
- Lethal injection has replaced electrocution as the primary method of execution
- Inmates in some states can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair
- The electric chair has failed to kill in multiple instances
- The electric chair is a method of the past, with no state having used it since 2013
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 as a humane alternative to hanging
The electric chair was conceived in 1881 by a Buffalo, New York dentist named Alfred P. Southwick. It was first adopted in 1888 as a more humane alternative to hanging.
In the late 1870s to early 1880s, the spread of arc lighting, a type of outdoor street lighting that required high voltages, led to numerous accidents and deaths. One such accident in Buffalo, New York, in 1881, led to the inception of the electric chair. A drunken dock worker named George Lemuel Smith sneaked into a power plant and grabbed hold of a large electric dynamo, dying instantly. This incident sparked interest in using electricity as a means of execution.
Southwick began advocating for this method as a more humane alternative to hanging in capital cases. He published his ideas in scientific journals in 1882 and 1883, gaining national attention. He worked on calculations and designs based on dog experiments, trying to develop a method that would work on humans. Southwick's idea was to use a modified version of the dental chair to restrain the condemned, which became known as the electric chair.
In 1888, a commission recommended electrocution using Southwick's electric chair idea. They contacted electrical experts, including Elihu Thomson and Thomas Edison, to determine the appropriate type and amount of electricity. However, there was no consensus on the type of electricity, with some recommending high-voltage alternating current (AC) and others direct current (DC). Despite the lack of consensus, New York built the first electric chair and executed William Kemmler in 1890, becoming the first state to adopt electrocution as a method of execution.
While the electric chair was initially seen as a more humane alternative to hanging, botched electrocutions and the adoption of lethal injection as a more humane method have led to its decline. Lethal injection has largely supplanted electrocution as the preferred method of execution in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. As of 2024, only a few U.S. states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution, and even in those states, it is rarely employed.
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Lethal injection has replaced electrocution as the primary method of execution
Lethal injection has become the primary method of execution in the United States, with electrocution largely being a method of the past.
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. It was soon adopted by several states, and by 1949, it was the method of execution in 26 states. However, the electric chair has been plagued with problems and botched executions throughout its history. For example, in 1946, the electric chair failed to kill Willie Francis, who reportedly cried out, "Take it off! Let me breathe!" after the current was applied. In the 1990 execution of Jesse Tafero in Florida, his face and head caught fire. These incidents have led to court challenges, which eventually caused most states to abandon electrocution in favor of lethal injection.
By the early 21st century, electrocution was a secondary method of execution that an inmate could choose in several states. Lethal injection has been the preferred method in the modern era, with 1,428 carried out since 1976. Twenty-eight states, as well as the U.S. military and government, authorize the use of lethal injection. In this method, a deadly mixture of drugs is injected into the inmate's body while they are strapped to a gurney.
However, lethal injection has also faced challenges due to problems with finding suitable veins, needles becoming clogged or disengaged, and securing enough of the required drugs. As a result, some states have begun to experiment with new methods of execution, such as firing squads and nitrogen gas. Nevertheless, lethal injection has largely replaced electrocution as the primary method of execution in the United States.
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Inmates in some states can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. By 1949, it was the method of execution in 26 states. However, court challenges over the decades led most states to abandon electrocution in favor of lethal injection. Lethal injection was first approved in 1977, and by the early 21st century, it had largely supplanted electrocution as the primary method of execution.
As of 2024, only seven US states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Even in these states, electrocution is rarely employed. Inmates in the other states must select either lethal injection or the electric chair. In Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, inmates sentenced before a certain date can choose to be executed by electric chair.
In some cases, inmates have chosen the electric chair over lethal injection because they fear being frozen in place and feeling intense discomfort while the drugs work to kill them. Lethal injection procedures have been found to be akin to waterboarding, and botched procedures have left inmates writhing in agony. However, electrocution is not without its problems. There have been several botched electrocutions, with inmates' faces and heads catching fire.
In 2021, South Carolina passed a law making the electric chair the default method of execution instead of lethal injection, as the state's supply of drugs for lethal injections had expired, and pharmaceutical companies refused to sell them more.
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The electric chair has failed to kill in multiple instances
The electric chair, once the most widely used method of execution in the United States, has now been largely replaced by lethal injection. However, in some states, inmates can still choose to be executed by electric chair. This method of execution has been criticised due to several instances where multiple electric shocks were required to kill the subject.
One of the earliest instances of the electric chair failing to kill instantly occurred in 1890 when New York state initiated its electric chair, executing William Kemmler at Auburn State Prison. Kemmler's execution was botched and grotesque. His face was bloody, his hair and skin scorched, and the death chamber filled with an unbearable stench. The attending physicians, Edward Charles Spitzka and Carlos Frederick MacDonald, confirmed Kemmler was still alive after the first shock. Spitzka reportedly called out, "Have the current turned on again, quick, no delay." The generator needed time to recharge, and in the second attempt, Kemmler received a 2,000-volt AC shock. The entire execution took about eight minutes.
In 1946, the electric chair failed to kill Willie Francis, who reportedly screamed, "Take it off! Let me breathe!" after the current was applied. It was discovered that the portable electric chair had been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate. Willie Francis was returned to the electric chair and executed in 1947.
In 1984, Alpha Otis Stephens in Georgia required two charges of electricity to be executed. The first charge failed to kill him, and he struggled to breathe for eight minutes before a second charge was administered. In 1989, Horace Franklin Dunkins Jr. in Alabama also required two jolts of electricity, nine minutes apart, to be executed. The cables had been connected improperly, making it impossible to dispense sufficient current to cause death.
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The electric chair is a method of the past, with no state having used it since 2013
The electric chair was once the primary means of execution in the United States, but it is now a method of the past. No state has used it since 2013, and nationally, electrocution is outdated. However, several U.S. states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In these states, inmates can choose between lethal injection and electrocution.
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. In 1890, New York State executed William Kemmler at Auburn State Prison, but the highly publicized execution was botched and grotesque. Despite this, electrocution was soon adopted in other states, and by 1949 it was the method of execution in 26 states. However, court challenges over the decades led most states to abandon electrocution in favor of lethal injection. Lethal injection is now the most widely used method of execution in the United States, and electrocution is relatively rarely employed.
There have been several controversial botched electrocutions in recent decades, including the 1990 execution of Jesse Tafero in Florida, where his face and head caught fire. In 1946, the electric chair failed to kill Willie Francis, who reportedly cried out, "Take it off! Let me breathe!" It was discovered that the portable electric chair had been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate. Francis was returned to the electric chair and executed in 1947.
The move away from electrocution as a method of execution may be due to the development of more humane alternatives, as well as the recognition that death by electricity is "iffy." There are general guidelines for electrocution, but the variables in people and conditions make it difficult to ensure that electricity will kill all people. Additionally, the electric chair has been criticized for being painful and inhumane, as it cooks the brain rather than stopping the heart.
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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. However, it is considered outdated and is rarely used. Lethal injection is the most common method of execution in the U.S.
Yes, in some states, inmates can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair. In other states, the electric chair can be used if lethal injection is found to be unconstitutional or if the drugs for lethal injection are unavailable.
Yes, Nicholas Sutton was executed by electric chair in Tennessee in 2020. He was the fifth person to be executed by electrocution in the state since 2018.
