Electric chair

Florida electric-chair

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EXECUTION BY ELECTRICITY electric chair illustration Scienic American Volumes 58-59 June 30 1888

Harold Pitney Brown edison electrocute horse 1888 New York Medico-Legal Journal vol 6 issue 4

Kemmler exécuté par l'électricité

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Electric chair is a method of execution by electrocution, used primarily in the United States. It was first developed in the late 19th century as a supposed humane alternative to hanging and has been used by various states as a method of execution since its inception.

History

The electric chair was first proposed in 1881 by Buffalo dentist Alfred P. Southwick. Southwick, who had witnessed a man die quickly and seemingly painlessly after touching a live electric generator, thought electricity could provide a more humane alternative to hanging. After conducting experiments on animals, the electric chair was developed and adopted as a method of execution.

The first person to be executed by electric chair was William Kemmler in Auburn Prison, New York, on August 6, 1890. The execution was controversial due to the botched nature of the procedure, which required two applications of electricity before Kemmler was pronounced dead.

Despite its initial problems, the electric chair became the primary method of execution in the United States, particularly in the 20th century. Various states adopted the electric chair, with over 4,300 prisoners being executed by this method in the United States by the end of the 20th century.

Design and Operation

The electric chair is designed to deliver a controlled electric current through the body of the condemned person, causing immediate unconsciousness and rapid death. The chair itself is typically made of wood and metal, with electrodes attached to the head and leg of the inmate to ensure a complete circuit when the electricity is applied.

The execution process involves shaving the head and leg of the inmate to ensure good electrical contact, strapping the inmate into the chair, and placing a conductive sponge soaked in saline solution on the head and calf to reduce resistance to the electric current. The execution team then administers a series of electric shocks, usually beginning with a high-voltage shock to cause unconsciousness and followed by lower voltage shocks to induce fatal cardiac arrest.

Controversy and Decline

The use of the electric chair has been a subject of controversy due to concerns about its humanity and the possibility of botched executions. Critics argue that inmates can suffer painful burns and may not die instantly, leading to a prolonged and torturous death.

In recent years, the electric chair has largely been replaced by lethal injection as the preferred method of execution in the United States, although it remains an option in a few states either by the choice of the inmate or as a backup method if lethal injection is deemed unconstitutional or unavailable.

Legal Status

As of the early 21st century, the electric chair is still an authorized method of execution in several U.S. states, including Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee. However, its use has become increasingly rare, with most executions being carried out by lethal injection.

In Popular Culture

The electric chair has been depicted in various forms of popular culture, including movies, television shows, and literature, often symbolizing the finality of justice or the horror of capital punishment.