Molly Ayala
The electric chair, a device used for capital punishment through electrocution, is still an option for death row inmates in several US states. While lethal injection is the primary method of execution in most states, some allow inmates to choose between lethal injection and electrocution. These states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee. In 2020, Nicholas Todd Sutton chose the electric chair in Tennessee, making him the most recent person to be electrocuted in the US as of February 2020.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| States where electrocution is an option | Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Oklahoma |
| States where electrocution is the primary means of execution | South Carolina, Tennessee |
| States where the electric chair has been used recently | Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida |
| Other methods of execution | Lethal injection, lethal gas, firing squad, hanging |
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What You'll Learn
- Inmates in Tennessee are increasingly choosing the electric chair
- South Carolina governor passed a law making electrocution the primary form of execution
- Lethal injection is the primary method of execution for the federal government and most states
- The electric chair was conceived in 1881 as a more humane alternative to hanging
- The death penalty has been on a general decline in the United States
Inmates in Tennessee are increasingly choosing the electric chair
The electric chair was introduced in the late 1880s in New York City as a more humane alternative to hanging. The first execution with the chair was a disaster, resulting in the inmate's hair being scorched and blood bursting from his face. Tennessee joined other states in turning to lethal injection as the primary method for executions, with lawmakers viewing it as a calmer and less violent alternative to electrocution. However, this view has been challenged in recent years as errors and problematic executions have gained widespread notice.
In 1998, Tennessee lawmakers added lethal injection as a method of execution, and two years later, it became the state’s primary method. According to state law, inmates who were condemned to death before 1999 are allowed to choose between lethal injection and electrocution. Of the 52 inmates on Tennessee’s death row, more than half received their sentences before the cutoff. In 2007, Daryl Keith Holton was the first inmate to be executed by electrocution in the state since 1960. Since 2018, five inmates have been put to death by the electric chair.
The death penalty, in general, has been on the decline in the United States, with seven states carrying out 22 executions in 2019, the second-lowest number since 1991. Many pharmaceutical companies have also made it more difficult for states to acquire the proper drugs, not wanting to be associated with ending lives. As a result, states have had to revise their protocols to match the drugs they can obtain. In Tennessee, the three-drug combination used in lethal injections has been criticized for causing sensations of drowning and not effectively preventing inmates from feeling pain.
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South Carolina governor passed a law making electrocution the primary form of execution
In 2021, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster passed a law making electrocution the primary form of execution, with the options of lethal injection or a firing squad available if the condemned makes the request within 14 to 28 days of their execution. This law was passed due to the difficulty in obtaining lethal injection drugs from pharmaceutical companies.
South Carolina is not the only state where electrocution is an option. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Tennessee also allow electrocution as an alternative method of execution. Inmates in these states can choose between lethal injection and electrocution. In Arkansas, electrocution is an option for inmates sentenced before a certain date. Inmates sentenced after this date or who do not select this method face lethal injection.
The electric chair was first used in 1890 and became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States. It was originally developed as a more humane alternative to hanging. However, its use has declined with the adoption of lethal injection, which is now the primary method of execution in most states. Lethal injection is considered a more humane method of execution.
Despite the decline in the use of the electric chair, some legislators have advocated for its return due to the difficulty in obtaining drugs for lethal injections. The electric chair remains a controversial method of execution, with the Nebraska Supreme Court ruling in 2008 that it constitutes "cruel and unusual punishment" under the state constitution.
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Lethal injection is the primary method of execution for the federal government and most states
The use of the electric chair has declined over the years, with lethal injection becoming the preferred method of execution in the modern era. Lethal injection is considered a calmer and less violent alternative to electrocution. However, in recent years, this view has been challenged due to errors and problematic executions. Additionally, the resistance of drug manufacturers to provide the drugs typically used in lethal injections has made it more difficult for states to acquire them.
The electric chair was first used in 1890 and became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States. It was developed as a more humane alternative to conventional executions, such as hanging. During an execution, the condemned person is strapped to a custom wooden chair and electrocuted via electrodes attached to the head and leg.
While lethal injection is the primary method of execution for most states, there are still some that allow alternative methods, such as electrocution, lethal gas, and firing squads. These alternative methods have been used within the last decade, with the most recent US electrocution taking place in February 2020 in Tennessee.
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The electric chair was conceived in 1881 as a more humane alternative to hanging
Southwick went on to advocate for this method as a more humane alternative to hanging in capital cases. In 1886, New York State governor David B. Hill set up a three-member death penalty commission, which included Southwick, to investigate a more humane means of execution. The majority of respondents to the commission's questionnaire recommended hanging over electrocution, but the commission recommended electrocution using Southwick's electric-chair idea.
The first law allowing the use of electrocution went into effect in New York State on January 1, 1889. The first execution by electric chair took place in New York's Auburn Prison on August 6, 1890, when William Kemmler was executed. The electric chair became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States, and it was soon adopted by other states.
Today, electrocution is not used as the sole method of execution in any state, but it remains an option in several states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Inmates in these states may choose lethal injection instead. Lethal injection is the primary means of execution in the United States, and its adoption has led to a decline in the use of the electric chair.
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The death penalty has been on a general decline in the United States
The death penalty has been abolished in Virginia, which became the first Southern state to do so in 2021. However, Alabama continues to have one of the nation's highest rates of death sentences per capita. Texas is the state with the highest number of cumulative executions since 1976, and Black people make up about 45% of the current death row population there, despite only accounting for 13% of the state's general population. Oklahoma is the state with the second-highest number of cumulative executions since 1976, and Black people make up 46% of death sentences in Oklahoma County, while only accounting for 16% of the county's total population.
The use of the electric chair, a specialized device used for capital punishment through electrocution, has also declined with the adoption of lethal injection, which is perceived as more humane. The electric chair was first used in 1890 and became a symbol of capital punishment in the United States. While it was initially thought to cause death through cerebral damage, it was later established that death primarily results from ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. The last judicial electrocution in the U.S. prior to Furman v. Georgia took place in Oklahoma in 1966. Although its use has declined, some states still allow inmates to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. As of 2025, electrocution remains an option in states like Alabama, South Carolina, and Florida.
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Frequently asked questions
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
No, in most states, inmates can choose to be executed by lethal injection. In South Carolina, they can also choose to die by firing squad.
Inmates and their advocates have expressed a fear of feeling intense discomfort while the lethal injection drugs take effect.
Lethal injection, lethal gas, and firing squad.
Yes, the use of the electric chair has declined in the United States due to the widespread adoption of lethal injection.
