Molly Ayala
The electric chair, once the most widely used method of execution in the United States, has been largely replaced by lethal injection. The electric chair was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. However, by the early 21st century, electrocution was rarely employed, with lethal injection becoming the preferred method of execution in most states. While the electric chair remains an option in some states, such as Tennessee, where inmates can choose between lethal injection and electrocution, it has not been widely used in recent years. The last state to rely solely on electrocution, Nebraska, ruled the method cruel and unusual punishment and unconstitutional in 2008.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current status of the electric chair | The electric chair is still an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma. Tennessee also allows it, but no other state has used it since 2013. |
| Recent use of the electric chair | In 2020, Nicholas Sutton was the fifth inmate in Tennessee to choose death by electric chair since 2018. |
| Previous use of the electric chair | From 1890 to 1972, electrocution was used in 4,251 executions. From 1976 through the early 21st century, it was used in about 160 executions. |
| Reasons for decline in use | Lethal injection is now the most widely-used method of execution. The electric chair has been criticised as "cruel and unusual punishment". |
| History of the electric chair | New York built the first electric chair in 1888 and executed William Kemmler in 1890. Other states soon followed. |
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What You'll Learn
- The electric chair was first adopted in 1888
- Nebraska was the last US state to use electrocution as the sole method of execution
- Tennessee allows death row inmates to choose electrocution
- Lethal injection is the most widely-used method of execution
- The electric chair remains an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma
The electric chair was first adopted in 1888
In the early 1880s, Southwick began advocating for the use of electricity as a more humane method of execution, and he published his ideas in scientific journals in 1882 and 1883. In 1886, the New York State governor, David B. Hill, set up a death penalty commission to investigate more humane means of execution. The commission contacted electrical experts, including Elihu Thomson and Thomas Edison, who recommended the use of high-voltage AC connected to the head and spine.
The development of the electric chair also became intertwined with the \"war of the currents\" between Thomas Edison's direct current power system and George Westinghouse's alternating current system. In 1888, Harold P. Brown, who was crusading against alternating current due to several deaths caused by shoddy installation of pole-mounted AC arc lighting lines, publicly electrocuted dogs with AC at Columbia College to prove that AC was more deadly than DC.
In 1889, Brown supplied technical assistance to the Medico-Legal Society members who were working out the details of electrode placement for the electric chair. The electric chair was first used for execution in 1890 when New York State executed William Kemmler at Auburn State Prison. Martha Place became the first woman to be electrocuted in 1899.
While electrocution was once a widely used method of execution in the United States, it has been largely replaced by lethal injection in recent decades. However, it is still authorized as a method of execution in several states, and some inmates have recently chosen to be executed by electric chair instead of lethal injection.
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Nebraska was the last US state to use electrocution as the sole method of execution
The electric chair was the primary method of execution in the US until the early 1990s. It was replaced by lethal injection, which is now the most widely used method. However, some states still allow the use of the electric chair as a secondary method of execution. In some cases, inmates can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair.
On February 8, 2008, Nebraska became the last US state to stop using electrocution as the sole method of execution. The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that execution by electrocution was "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the state constitution. The ruling came in the case of State v. Mata, where Raymond Mata Jr. challenged the state's use of electrocution for executions after he was convicted of the 1999 kidnapping and murder of a three-year-old boy.
The electric chair has been criticised for being inhumane due to the intense pain and suffering it inflicts on the human body. In Nebraska, the protocol for electrocution had been changed multiple times in the years leading up to the 2008 ruling. The original protocol involved an eight-second application of current at 2,450 volts, followed by a one-second pause, and then a 22-second application at 480 volts. This was changed in 2004 to a 15-second application at 2,450 volts, with a 15-minute wait to check for signs of life. However, concerns were raised again in 2007, leading to another change in the protocol.
While Nebraska was the last state to rely solely on electrocution, other states have used the electric chair more recently. In 2020, Nicholas Todd Sutton in Tennessee was the most recent execution by electric chair. Inmates in Tennessee can choose between lethal injection and the electric chair, and Sutton chose the latter. Prior to Sutton, the last person to be executed by electric chair without the choice of an alternative method was Lynda Lyon Block in Alabama in 2002.
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Tennessee allows death row inmates to choose electrocution
The electric chair was introduced as a more humane alternative to hanging for executions in the late 19th century. In 1886, New York State governor David B. Hill set up a death penalty commission to investigate a more humane means of execution. In 1889, the commission enlisted the services of Harold P. Brown, who conducted tests on animals using electricity.
In 1913, Tennessee replaced hanging with the electric chair as the method of execution. Electrocution remained the only method of execution in the state until 1998, when the state legislature gave offenders the choice of lethal injection if their crimes were committed before January 1, 1999. In 2000, lethal injection was specified as the primary method of execution in Tennessee, though offenders who committed their crimes before January 1, 1999, could still request electrocution.
In 2007, Daryl Keith Holton became the first inmate to be executed by electrocution in Tennessee since 1960. Since 2018, five inmates have opted for electrocution over lethal injection. Inmates have expressed fear of the intense discomfort caused by lethal injection, which has been likened to waterboarding. Tennessee law allows death row inmates to choose the method of their execution, with electrocution being the alternative to lethal injection.
While electrocution is considered outdated, Tennessee is not the only state that has retained it as an option. Mississippi and Oklahoma also allow electrocution if other execution methods are ruled unconstitutional. In 2025, Idaho was sued by media outlets for prohibiting media witnesses from viewing key steps in the preparation and administration of lethal injections. In 2028, a US District Judge ordered the Idaho Department of Corrections to grant media witnesses access to these procedures.
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Lethal injection is the most widely-used method of execution
Since then, lethal injection has become the primary method of execution in the United States, with 37 out of 38 states using capital punishment having introduced lethal injection statutes by 2004. The procedure typically involves injecting three chemicals into the prisoner's arm in the following order: sodium thiopental, a barbiturate anesthetic that induces unconsciousness; pancuronium bromide, a total muscle relaxant that causes suffocation; and potassium chloride, which induces irreversible cardiac arrest. If the procedure goes as planned, death occurs in less than two minutes, and the entire execution takes about five minutes.
However, lethal injection has faced criticism and legal challenges due to concerns about its effectiveness and humanity. There have been instances where condemned individuals remained conscious during the injection of paralytics and cardiac arrest-inducing agents, leading to comparisons with torture. In 2014, Clayton Lockett writhed and moaned during his execution, suffering an apparent heart attack 43 minutes after the first injection. In 2021, John Grant convulsed and vomited after receiving the first drug. These botched executions have raised questions about the constitutionality of lethal injection under the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments.
Despite these concerns, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of lethal injection, finding that it does not violate the Eighth Amendment. Lethal injection remains the default method of execution in states like Tennessee, although inmates can choose the electric chair as an alternative. However, the electric chair has largely fallen out of use, with no state using it since 2013, except for Tennessee.
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The electric chair remains an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma
The electric chair is a method of execution that has been used in the United States since the late 19th century. While its use has declined in recent decades, with lethal injection becoming the primary method of execution in most states, the electric chair remains an accepted alternative in certain states, including Mississippi and Oklahoma.
In Mississippi and Oklahoma, the electric chair can be used as an alternative method of execution if other methods, such as lethal injection, are ruled unconstitutional or unavailable at the time of execution. This provision ensures that the state can still carry out capital punishment even if the primary method is deemed unconstitutional. Mississippi and Oklahoma are not alone in this approach, as several other states, such as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Tennessee, also allow for the use of alternative methods if lethal injection is not possible or legal.
The electric chair has a long history in the United States, dating back to the late 1800s. It was first conceived as a more humane alternative to hanging, and its development was influenced by the spread of arc lighting and the competition between Thomas Edison's direct current power system and George Westinghouse's alternating current system. Despite its controversial history, the electric chair became the prevalent method of execution in the United States until the early 1990s.
However, in recent years, the use of the electric chair has declined significantly. Nationally, electrocution is considered outdated, and many states have moved away from it due to concerns about its effectiveness and humanity. In 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that electric chair executions constituted "cruel and unusual punishment," ending their use in Nebraska, the last state to rely solely on this method. Since then, other states have also discontinued the use of the electric chair, with Tennessee being the most recent state to use it in 2020.
While Mississippi and Oklahoma still accept the electric chair as an alternative, it is important to note that the death penalty, in general, has been on the decline in the United States. The number of executions carried out in recent years is the second-lowest since 1991, and several states have abandoned capital punishment altogether. As public opinion and legal challenges continue to shape the landscape of capital punishment in the United States, the use of the electric chair may continue to evolve or be phased out entirely.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the electric chair is still an accepted alternative in Mississippi and Oklahoma if other execution methods are deemed unconstitutional. Inmates in Tennessee can also choose to be executed by electric chair instead of lethal injection.
The electric chair was first introduced in New York in 1888 and was first used in 1890 to execute William Kemmler. It was the most widely used method of execution in the United States until it was largely replaced by lethal injection in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Court challenges led most states to abandon electrocution in favor of lethal injection. Lethal injection is considered a calmer and less violent alternative to electrocution.
Yes, in 2008, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that execution by electric chair was “cruel and unusual punishment” under the state constitution. This decision ended electric chair executions in Nebraska, the last state to rely solely on this method.
