Umair Gaines
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. The length of time it takes to kill someone in the electric chair varies, with some people dying after two 20-second jolts of electricity, and others taking 17 minutes and five cycles of current. The electric chair has been criticised as a form of execution, with some calling it cruel and unusual punishment due to the pain and mutilation it can inflict on the inmate.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Time taken | Between 30 seconds and 17 minutes |
| Number of jolts | Between 1 and 5 |
| Length of jolts | Between 8 and 90 seconds |
| Voltage | Between 500 and 6000 volts |
| Length of pauses between jolts | Between 1 and 15 seconds |
| Number of states using electric chair | 3 |
| Year of last use | 2013 |
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What You'll Learn
The electric chair: a history
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. The state executed its first inmate, William Kemmler, in 1890. However, Kemmler's execution was a "grotesque and fiery botch", leading to decades of court challenges and, eventually, most states abandoning electrocution in favour of lethal injection.
The process of execution by electric chair involves the condemned inmate being strapped to a chair with belts across their chest, groin, legs, and arms. Their head is shaved, and a metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to their scalp and forehead, with a sponge or conductive jelly applied to reduce resistance to electricity. A jolt of between 500 and 2,000 volts is then delivered for about 30 seconds. If the inmate's heart is still beating, another jolt is applied. This process continues until death.
In the late 19th century, the spread of arc lighting, which used high voltages, led to numerous accidents and deaths, often of linemen. One such accident in Buffalo, New York, in 1881, inspired the creation of the electric chair. George Fell, who had electrocuted dogs in experiments in the early 1880s, attended these electrocutions. Fell's experiments aimed to discern how electricity killed a subject. In 1888, a Commission recommended electrocution using an electric chair with metal conductors attached to the head and feet.
Today, the electric chair is rarely used. It is an accepted alternative in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma if other methods are ruled unconstitutional. Nationally, no state has used it since 2013. However, some inmates in Tennessee have chosen electrocution over lethal injection due to concerns about the intense discomfort caused by lethal injection.
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How does electrocution work?
Electrocution is a method of execution that applies one or more high-voltage electrical currents through electrodes attached to the head and legs of a condemned inmate, who sits strapped to a chair. The inmate is usually shaved and strapped to the chair with belts across their chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with saline. An additional electrode is moistened with conductive jelly and attached to a portion of the prisoner's leg.
The executioner pulls a handle to connect the power supply, delivering a jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts, which lasts for about 30 seconds. The current surges and is then turned off, causing the body to relax. Doctors then wait a few seconds for the body to cool down before checking for a heartbeat. If the heart is still beating, another jolt is applied. This process continues until the prisoner is dead.
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. Two years later, in 1890, New York state initiated its electric chair, executing William Kemmler at Auburn State Prison. From 1890 to 1972, electrocution was used in 4,251 executions. However, it has been criticized for inflicting unnecessary pain, indignity, and physical mutilation, such as severe external burning and bleeding. There have been several instances in which inmates were killed only after receiving multiple electric shocks, leading some states to abandon electrocution in favour of lethal injection.
In recent years, there have been very few electrocutions, with no other state using it since 2013. However, inmates in Tennessee have chosen electrocution over lethal injection due to concerns about the discomfort caused by the drugs used in lethal injections.
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Botched attempts
The use of the electric chair as a method of execution has resulted in several botched attempts, where the inmate experiences unnecessary agony or the executioner displays gross incompetence.
One of the earliest recorded botched attempts was that of William Kemmler in 1890, whose highly publicised execution was described as a "grotesque and fiery botch". In 1946, Willie Francis, a teenager from Louisiana, survived his first electrocution and was executed a year later. The execution was improperly set up by a drunken prison guard, resulting in the current being insufficient to cause death or unconsciousness. Francis was heard shouting, "Take it off! Take it off! Let me breathe!" before the execution was aborted. In 1956, James Larry Upton's execution in New Mexico involved an improvised head electrode made from a parka, which ignited into flames during the procedure. In 1985, it took 17 minutes and five cycles of current to execute William Vandiver in Indiana.
More recently, in 2007, Daryl Holton was executed in Tennessee after two 20-second jolts of electricity with a 15-second pause in between. However, there have been other cases where multiple jolts of electricity were required, indicating a prolonged and potentially agonising death. In 2013, Robert Gleason Jr. underwent two 90-second cycles of 1,800 volts in Virginia before being pronounced dead. Pedro Medina's execution in Florida in 1997 resulted in a crown of foot-high flames shooting from the headpiece, filling the chamber with smoke and gagging the witnesses. The execution was manually ended, and Medina's chest continued to heave until the flames stopped.
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Alternatives to electrocution
Electrocution has been largely replaced by lethal injection in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that electrocution was "cruel and unusual punishment". Today, electrocution is not the sole method of execution in any state. However, it remains an option in some states, where inmates may choose lethal injection instead.
Lethal injection: This is the most common alternative to electrocution and is widely used in the United States. However, it has been criticised for being inhumane and for taking too long to cause death.
Firing squad: This method has been described as the quickest way to execute someone and has been suggested as a replacement for lethal injection. However, it is not as popular as other methods, with only 12% of people in one survey supporting it.
Gas chamber: This method was introduced in 1924 as a more humane way of executing prisoners. The condemned person is strapped to a chair in an airtight chamber, with a pail of sulfuric acid below. However, it has been deemed "cruel and unusual punishment" by a federal court in California.
Hanging: This is a more traditional method of execution that has been used for centuries. It was once the primary method of execution in the United States before being replaced by electrocution and lethal injection. However, it is still authorised in some states and is supported by a small minority of people.
Guillotine: Although not a common method of execution in the United States, the guillotine has been suggested as a possible alternative to the electric chair. It was last used in France in 1977.
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Is electrocution still used?
Electrocution was once the most widely used method of execution in the United States. It was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. However, electrocution has now been largely replaced by lethal injection, and it is no longer used as the sole method of execution in any state.
Nebraska was the last U.S. state to use electrocution as the sole method of execution, but in February 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional, citing it as "cruel and unusual punishment". Despite this, a number of states still allow the condemned person to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. The most recent U.S. electrocution took place in February 2020 in Tennessee.
Outside the United States, electrocution has not been widely adopted. It was used in the Philippines until 1976.
The process of electrocution involves strapping the condemned person to a chair with belts across their chest, groin, legs, and arms. Electrodes are attached to the head and leg, and a jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts is administered for about 30 seconds. The current is then turned off, and doctors wait for the body to cool down before checking for a heartbeat. If the heart is still beating, another jolt is applied. This process continues until the prisoner is dead.
The use of electrocution as a method of execution has been controversial. While it was originally introduced as a more humane alternative to hanging, there is considerable evidence suggesting that it can inflict unnecessary pain, indignity, and physical mutilation on the inmate. There have been numerous documented cases of botched electrocutions, and court challenges have led most states to abandon this method in favour of lethal injection.
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Frequently asked questions
A typical electrocution lasts about two minutes.
The prisoner is strapped to a chair with belts across their chest, groin, legs, and arms. Electrodes are attached to their head and legs, and a jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts is administered for about 30 seconds.
The electric chair is no longer widely used. The last state to use it solely was Nebraska, until it was ruled unconstitutional in 2008. The last electrocution was carried out in Virginia in 2013.
Some states abandoned electrocution due to concerns that it was a cruel and unusual punishment that inflicted unnecessary pain, indignity, and physical mutilation on the inmate.
Other methods of execution include lethal injection, lethal gas, and the firing squad.
