Trystan Casey
Execution by electric chair is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned person is strapped to a chair and electrocuted. The electric chair was first adopted in New York in 1888 as a more humane alternative to hanging, and it soon became the prevalent method of execution in the United States. Today, it is no longer used as the sole method of execution in any state, but it remains an accepted alternative in some states, including Mississippi and Oklahoma. In recent years, there has been a decline in the use of the death penalty in the United States, with an increasing number of states abandoning capital punishment. However, some inmates continue to choose execution by electric chair over lethal injection due to concerns about the injection process.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| States where it is an accepted alternative | Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Carolina |
| States where it is the primary method | None |
| States where it was previously the primary method | Nebraska |
| States that have used it to carry out executions | Ohio, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia |
| First state to use it | New York |
| First person to be executed by electric chair | William Kemmler |
| Year of first execution | 1890 |
| Year Nebraska Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional | 2008 |
| Year Tennessee brought it back | 2020 |
| Year of most recent execution | 2007 |
| Person involved in most recent execution | Daryl Keith Holton |
| Number of volts used in most recent execution | 1,750 |
| Number of cycles | 2 |
| Description of execution | Smoke emanated from the head of the person executed; witnesses reported that his body caught fire |
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What You'll Learn
- The electric chair was invented as a humane alternative to hanging
- The executioner pulls a handle to connect the power supply
- The inmate is shaved and strapped to a chair with a blindfold
- Inmates fear lethal injection due to the risk of regaining consciousness
- The electric chair is deemed cruel and unusual punishment
The electric chair was invented as a humane alternative to hanging
The electric chair was conceived in 1881 by Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist from Buffalo, New York. It was developed over the next decade as a more humane alternative to hanging, which was the primary means of execution at the time.
Southwick's idea came about following an accident in Buffalo, New York, on August 7, 1881, where a drunken dock worker named George Lemuel Smith sneaked into a power plant at night and grabbed a large electric dynamo, leading to his death. This incident, along with other similar stories, sparked the idea of using electricity as a means of execution.
In the early 1880s, Southwick advocated for this method as a more humane replacement for hanging in capital cases. He published his ideas in scientific journals in 1882 and 1883, gaining national attention. Southwick worked out calculations based on experiments conducted on dogs, trying to develop a method that could be scaled up for humans. He adopted a modified version of the dental chair as a way to restrain the condemned, which became known as the electric chair.
At the time, there was mounting criticism of hanging as a form of capital punishment due to a series of botched hangings in the United States. In 1886, the newly elected New York State governor, David B. Hill, established a three-member death penalty commission to investigate more humane means of execution. The commission included human rights advocate Elbridge Thomas Gerry, New York lawyer Matthew Hale, and Southwick himself. They contacted electrical experts, including Elihu Thomson and inventor Thomas Edison, who recommended the use of high-voltage alternating current (AC) connected to the head and spine.
The first execution by electric chair took place in 1890 when a street pedlar named William Kemmler was put to death. However, the execution was not without issues. Kemmler received two shocks of 1,000 and 2,000 volts, causing his skin to bleed and parts of his body to singe, with some witnesses reporting that his body caught fire. Despite this, the electric chair became the prevalent method of execution in the United States, replacing hanging.
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The executioner pulls a handle to connect the power supply
The electric chair was conceived in the late 1870s to the early 1880s as a more humane alternative to hanging. The idea came about following several incidents of people being killed by the high voltages used in arc lighting, a type of outdoor street lighting. In 1886, a commission was set up to investigate a more humane means of execution, and they recommended electrocution using a modified version of the dental chair to restrain the condemned.
The electric chair has been deemed "cruel and unusual punishment" by the Nebraska Supreme Court, which ended its use in the state in 2008. Tennessee also ended its use of the electric chair in 2007, but it was brought back over a decade later. Tennessee is the only state to have used the electric chair since 2013, with four inmates having been put to death by this method since 2018.
Inmates in Tennessee have chosen the electric chair over lethal injection because they fear being frozen in place and feeling intense discomfort while drugs work to kill them. Lethal injection is the most widely used method of execution, but many states authorize other methods, including electrocution, lethal gas, and firing squad.
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The inmate is shaved and strapped to a chair with a blindfold
The inmate is shaved, including on the scalp and a portion of the leg, to reduce resistance to electricity. They are then strapped into a chair with belts that cross the chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the inmate's scalp and forehead, with a sponge moistened with saline placed underneath. The sponge must be carefully prepared so that it is neither too wet nor too dry. An additional electrode is also moistened and attached to the shaved portion of the inmate's leg.
The inmate is then blindfolded. This step is taken after the electrodes have been attached and before the execution team withdraws to the observation room. Once the execution team is in place, the warden signals to the executioner, who pulls a handle to connect the power supply. This delivers an electric current to the inmate, causing death.
In the case of Lee Hall, who was executed in Tennessee in December, a helmet with a sponge soaked in a saline solution was placed on his head, and a dark shroud was attached. Witnesses reported that steam or smoke emanated from his head.
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Inmates fear lethal injection due to the risk of regaining consciousness
Lethal injection is the most widely used method of execution in the United States. However, inmates fear this method due to the risk of regaining consciousness during the procedure. Opponents of lethal injection argue that thiopental is an ultrashort-acting barbiturate that may wear off, leading to consciousness during the execution. This is known as "anesthesia awareness". During lethal injection executions, the drugs are administered one after another, with no trained personnel present to monitor the inmate's level of consciousness.
The risk of consciousness among inmates is attributed to the lack of training and monitoring during the process. In many states, inmates are given a paralytic agent right after the anesthetic, which masks any signs of pain or consciousness. Susi Vassallo, a toxicologist and professor of emergency medicine at New York University, states that "you can be paralyzed and totally awake". This is a concern because the inmate may be unable to signal their distress or pain.
Standard medical procedures require a determination of the level of anesthesia before and throughout surgery. However, during lethal injection executions, there is often no one present who is trained in anesthesia to monitor the inmate's sedation level before the administration of subsequent drugs. This has led to suggestions for modifications to current lethal injection protocols to minimize the risk of pain and suffering. For example, it has been proposed that someone trained in anesthesiology be present during executions to assess the prisoner's level of consciousness before and after the injection of other drugs.
The use of lethal injection as a method of execution has been controversial, with some states now allowing the use of alternative methods if lethal injection cannot be performed due to drug manufacturer resistance. Inmates on death row in Oklahoma challenged the use of midazolam, a drug that has not been proven to render a person unconscious, but the Supreme Court ruled that the prisoners failed to demonstrate that the drug would create a high risk of severe pain.
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The electric chair is deemed cruel and unusual punishment
The electric chair has been deemed by many to be a cruel and unusual form of punishment. The use of the electric chair as a method of execution has been criticised for its inherent cruelty, with several instances of subjects being killed only after receiving multiple electric shocks. The first electric chair execution in 1890 did not go as planned, with William Kemmler receiving a 1,000-volt shock that caused his blood vessels to rupture and his body to catch fire. The entire execution took about eight minutes.
In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that execution by electric chair was "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the state constitution. This decision was based on the fact that the electric chair could inflict unnecessary pain, indignity, and physical mutilation, such as severe external burning and bleeding. The court also noted that there was a substantial pattern of consecutive mishaps in witnessed executions. This ruling ended electric chair executions in Nebraska, the last state to rely solely on this method.
The international community has also raised concerns about the human rights implications of using the electric chair, urging countries to abolish this form of execution. Advocacy groups, legal experts, and human rights organizations argue that the potential for pain and suffering inherent in electrocution violates the principles of human dignity. The electric chair is also considered a barbaric and archaic form of torture, with many calling for its abolition.
While some states in the US still maintain the electric chair as an alternative method of execution, lethal injection has become the preferred method in many states as it is perceived as more humane. The use of the electric chair has been marred by botched executions and debates over its constitutionality, with many considering it to be a cruel and unusual punishment.
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Frequently asked questions
Execution by electric chair involves the application of high-voltage electricity to a prisoner, resulting in death.
The prisoner is strapped to a chair with belts across the chest, groin, legs, and arms. Electrodes are attached to the scalp, forehead, and leg, with sponges or conductive jelly used to facilitate the electric current. The prisoner is then blindfolded, and the executioner connects the power supply.
Yes, execution by electric chair remains an authorized method in some states, including Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. However, it is no longer the primary method of execution, with lethal injection being more commonly used.
Some prisoners choose the electric chair over lethal injection due to concerns about the injection process, including the fear of being frozen in place and experiencing discomfort while the drugs take effect.
The humane nature of execution by electric chair has been widely debated. Some consider it a more humane alternative to hanging, while others view it as cruel and unusual punishment.
