Molly Ayala
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The method was conceived in 1881 by a New York dentist, Alfred P. Southwick, and was first used in 1890. The electric chair was initially adopted as a more humane alternative to hanging, and it became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States. The process involves strapping the condemned inmate to a chair and administering electric shocks of varying voltage and duration to cause lethal damage to internal organs. While the use of the electric chair has declined in recent years, with lethal injection becoming the dominant method, some states still authorize its use, and inmates in certain states can choose between the electric chair and lethal injection for their execution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| History | The electric chair was first introduced as a method of execution in the United States in the late 19th century, with the first execution taking place in New York in 1890. |
| Process | The person is strapped to a specially designed chair and then connected to an electrical source, typically through electrodes placed on the head and leg. A high voltage current is then passed through the body, causing death by cardiac arrest or respiratory failure. |
| Voltage | The voltage used can vary but is typically in the range of 2,000 to 2,500 volts. |
| Current | The electrical current used is typically an alternating current (AC), which is more effective at causing death than direct current (DC). |
| Purpose | The electric chair was introduced as a "humane" alternative to hanging, which was the primary method of execution at the time. |
| Use Today | Today, the electric chair is used as a secondary method of execution after lethal injection. If lethal injection is deemed unconstitutional or unavailable, the electric chair may be used. |
| States Using it | As of 2023, eight states still allow the electric chair as a method of execution: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. |
| Controversy | The use of the electric chair has been controversial due to concerns about cruelty and the risk of botched executions. There have been instances where individuals have suffered severe burns and prolonged deaths. |
| Notable Cases | Some well-known individuals who were executed by electric chair include: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Ted Bundy, and John Spenkelink. |
| Alternatives | Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in the US today, with the electric chair being used only in specific circumstances. |
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What You'll Learn
History of the electric chair
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. This execution method was conceived by Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo, New York dentist, in 1881. It was developed over the next decade as a more humane alternative to hanging.
In 1886, the New York State governor David B. Hill set up a three-member death penalty commission to investigate a more humane means of execution. The commission members surveyed the history of execution and consulted government officials, lawyers, and medical experts. They also contacted electrical experts, including Elihu Thomson and Thomas Edison. In 1888, the commission recommended electrocution using Southwick's electric chair idea with metal conductors attached to the condemned person's head and feet.
A bill following these recommendations was signed by Governor Hill on June 4, 1888, and went into effect on January 1, 1889. New York built the first electric chair in 1888 and executed William Kemmler in 1890. Soon, other states adopted this execution method. The electric chair became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States and was also used extensively in the Philippines.
Today, electrocution is not used as the sole method of execution in any state. Its use has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, which is perceived as more humane. However, as of 2025, electrocution remains an option in some states, where inmates may choose lethal injection instead. In recent years, several inmates in Tennessee have chosen the electric chair over lethal injection.
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How the electric chair works
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a more humane alternative to hanging. The process of execution involves the condemned person 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.
The executioner then connects the power supply, sending a jolt of between 500 and 2000 volts of electricity through the body for about 30 seconds. The current is then turned off, and doctors check for a heartbeat. If the prisoner's heart is still beating, another jolt is applied. This process continues until the prisoner is dead.
The electric chair was once the most widely used method of execution in the United States, but it has been largely replaced by lethal injection since the late 20th and early 21st centuries. As of 2024, only a few states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
The development of the electric chair as a method of execution was influenced by the spread of arc lighting in the late 1870s to early 1880s, which operated at high voltages and was associated with accidental deaths. The first electric chair was built in New York in 1888, and it was first used to execute William Kemmler in 1890. The execution was highly publicized and reportedly botched, with severe external burning and bleeding. Despite this, other states soon adopted this method of execution.
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The electric chair vs lethal injection
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The person being executed is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg. The electric chair was conceived in 1881 as a more humane alternative to hanging and was first used in 1890.
Lethal injection is now the default method of execution in most U.S. jurisdictions that authorise capital punishment. The process involves a series of injections, the first to sedate the person, followed by others that paralyse them and stop their heart. Lethal injection was first used by the state of Texas in 1982 and gradually replaced the electric chair as the primary method of execution across the U.S. in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
The use of the electric chair has declined with the advent of lethal injection. As of 2024, only seven U.S. states still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution. In some states, inmates sentenced before a certain date can choose to be executed by the electric chair instead of lethal injection. Tennessee is the only state to have used the electric chair since 2013, with five inmates opting for electrocution over lethal injection since 2018.
There is controversy surrounding lethal injection, with inmates questioning whether it is actually painless. Lawyers and advocates argue that the electric chair kills faster than lethal injection, which has failed in some instances. However, the electric chair has also been deemed cruel and unusual punishment and ruled unconstitutional in some states.
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States that use the electric chair
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. It was conceived in 1881 by Alfred P. Southwick, a dentist from Buffalo, New York, as a more humane alternative to hanging. The first electric chair was built in New York in 1888, and the first execution using this method was carried out in 1890.
While the use of the electric chair has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, several states in the US still authorize its use. Tennessee, for example, allows death row inmates to choose between lethal injection and the electric chair. Since 2018, five people have been put to death by electrocution in Tennessee: Edmund Zagorski and David Earl Miller in 2018, Stephen Michael West and Lee Hall in 2019, and Nicholas Todd Sutton in 2020.
In Mississippi and Oklahoma, laws provide for the use of the electric chair should lethal injection be held to be unconstitutional. In Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee, inmates sentenced before a certain date can also choose to be executed by electric chair. In 2014, Tennessee passed a law allowing the use of the electric chair if lethal injection drugs were unavailable.
In 2018, Alabama authorized the use of nitrogen gas in executions, resulting in death by suffocation. This method has also been introduced in Oklahoma as an alternative to lethal injection.
While lethal injection remains the primary method of execution in the US, other methods such as electrocution, lethal gas, and firing squads are still authorized in many states.
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Electric chair controversies
The electric chair, a specialised device used for capital punishment through electrocution, has been the subject of much controversy since its inception. Developed in the late 19th century as a more humane alternative to hanging, the electric chair has sparked debates about the nature of punishment, the limits of humaneness, and the protection of human rights.
The idea of using electricity as a method of execution emerged in the 1880s, during a period of intense rivalry between Thomas Edison's direct current (DC) and George Westinghouse's alternating current (AC) systems. Edison, a staunch advocate of DC, lobbied for the adoption of AC in the electric chair, hoping to tarnish its reputation. In 1888, the state of New York passed a law establishing electrocution as the official method of execution, with the first electric chair execution taking place in 1890.
However, the use of the electric chair has been marred by botched executions and debates over its constitutionality. In 1946, the electric chair failed to kill Willie Francis, who reportedly screamed for the current to be stopped. It was discovered that the electric chair had been improperly set up by an intoxicated prison guard and inmate. A case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, but the argument that Francis had already been executed was rejected, and he was executed again in 1947. Florida saw three highly controversial botched electrocutions in the 1990s, including the execution of Jesse Tafero, whose face and head caught fire.
International human rights organisations have raised concerns about the use of the electric chair, urging countries to abolish this form of execution. They argue that the potential for pain and suffering inherent in electrocution violates human dignity and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that execution by electric chair was "cruel and unusual punishment" under the state constitution, ending its use in the state. As of 2025, electrocution remains an option in several US states, including Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida, where inmates may choose lethal injection instead.
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Frequently asked questions
The electric chair is a device used for capital punishment through electrocution. The prisoner is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg.
The condemned inmate's head and legs are shaved and they are seated in the chair. Their arms and legs are tightly strapped with leather belts, and a cap with a saltwater-soaked sponge is strapped to the head, and electrodes are attached to the legs. The first electric shock is intended to cause immediate unconsciousness, ventricular fibrillation, and eventual cardiac arrest. The second shock is intended to cause lethal damage to the vital organs.
Inmates in Tennessee 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.
