Difference between revisions of "Electric chair" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Category:Politics and social sciences]]
 
[[Category:Politics and social sciences]]
 
[[Category:Law]]
 
[[Category:Law]]
  
  
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: '''''Electric-chair''' is sometimes used in publications by organizations of people with  [[disability|disabilities]] to mean "electric-powered [[wheelchair]]".''
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[[Image:Electric chair.jpg|thumb|250 px|The first electric chair, which was used to execute William Kemmler in 1890]]
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[[Image:Electric chair.jpg|thumb|The first electric chair, which was used to execute [[William Kemmler]] in 1890]]
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The '''electric chair''' is an [[execution]] method in which the person being killed is strapped to a chair and [[electric shock|electrocuted]] through [[electrode]]s placed on their body. This execution method is used mostly in the [[United States]], and has become a symbol of the [[death penalty]] there. Although introduced in an effort to provide a more humane method of killing the condemned criminals than the previously common [[hanging]], the electric chair itself has been criticized as inhumane. This became of particular concern following reports of electrocutions in which the equipment failed, resulting in prolonged pain and suffering for the prisoners. The introduction of [[lethal injection]]s, which were either used as an option or replaced the electric chair entirely, depending on the state, was a step in solving this problem.  
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The '''electric chair''' is an execution method in which the person being killed is strapped to a chair and [[electric shock|electrocuted]] through [[electrode]]s placed on the body. This execution method is used mostly in the [[United States of America]] and has become a symbol of the [[death penalty]] there, although its use is now in decline, with [[Nebraska]] the last state using solely this method.
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Since the late twentieth century use of the electric chair has been in decline, with [[Nebraska]] the last state using solely this method. Additionally, as opposition to the death penalty has increased, with many [[jurisdiction]]s abolishing this punishment, the age of the electric chair is all but over, marking another significant advance for humankind.
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==Contemporary use==
 
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{{Not verified|date=February 2007}}
 
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It is currently an optional form of [[capital punishment|execution]] in the [[U.S. state]]s of [[Alabama]], [[Florida]], [[South Carolina]] and [[Virginia]], and the sole method of execution in [[Nebraska]] (the former four states allow the prisoner to choose [[lethal injection]] as an alternative method).  In the states of [[Kentucky]] and [[Tennessee]], the electric chair has been retired except for those whose capital crimes were committed prior to legislated dates in 1998.  [''Kentucky [[31 March]] [[1998]], Tennessee [[31 December]] [[1998]]''].  In both Kentucky and Tennessee, the method of execution authorized for crimes committed after these dates is [[lethal injection]]. The electric chair is an alternate form of execution approved for potential use in [[Illinois]] and [[Oklahoma]] if other forms of execution are found unconstitutional in the state at the time of execution.  In [[Florida]], the condemned may choose death by electrocution, but the default is [[lethal injection]].
 
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Historically, once the person was attached to the chair, various cycles of current would be passed through the condemned's body, attempting to fatally damage the internal organs (including the brain).  Dramatic events included the condemned's eyes exploding on occasion and lying on their cheeks and the room smelling of burning flesh.  In some instances the person would catch fire and burn while being electrocuted.  These descriptions, although having factual basis, are atypical.
 
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In the United States, most death sentences handed down are the result of persons being convicted of a statutory capital offense (i.e., an offense violating the laws of a particular U.S. state and punishable in that state by death).  For such statutory capital offenses, [[state legislatures]] are the authorizing bodies for death penalty allowance and any approved death penalty methods. 
 
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The electric chair was first used in 1890. It was used by more than 25 states throughout the 20th century, acquiring nicknames such as [[Sizzlin' Sally]], [[Old Smokey]], [[Old Sparky]], [[Yellow Mama]], and [[Gruesome Gertie]]. From 1924 to 1976, the electric chair was used as method of capital punishment in the [[Philippines]].  In the late 20th century, the electric chair was removed as a form of execution in many U.S. states, and its use in the 21st century is very infrequent.
 
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
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[[Image:US electric chair usage.png|thumb|350px|Electric chair history and laws in the United States<br>'''''Color key:'''''
 
 
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{{legend|#00FF00|'''Once''' used electric chair, but '''does not today'''}}
 
{{legend|#00FF00|'''Once''' used electric chair, but '''does not today'''}}
 
{{legend|#FFFFFF|Has '''never''' used electric chair (includes Alaska and Hawaii)}}]]
 
{{legend|#FFFFFF|Has '''never''' used electric chair (includes Alaska and Hawaii)}}]]
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<!--Note that the other execution method articles, namely lethal injection, gas chamber, and firing squad, use the same image and caption format.  If you change this one, please change them all for congruency—>
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The idea of using [[electricity|electric current]] as a method of execution was developed by [[Alfred P. Southwick]] after he witnessed an intoxicated man die after having touched an exposed terminal on a live generator.<ref>Christen, A.G. and J.A. Christen. Alfred P. Southwick, MDS, DDS: Dental Practitioner, Educator and Originator of Electrical Executions. ''Journal of the History of Dentistry'' 48(3). Nov 2000:117-22.</ref>
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[[Alfred P. Southwick]] developed the idea of using [[electric current]] as a method of execution after having witnessed an intoxicated man die after having touched an exposed terminal on a live generator.<ref>{{cite journal
 
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  | coauthors = Christen, AG Christen JA.
 
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  | title = Alfred P. Southwick, MDS, DDS: dental practitioner, educator and originator of electrical executions
 
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The first practical electric chair was made by [[Harold P. Brown]].  Brown was an employee of [[Thomas Edison]], hired for the purpose of researching [[electric shock|electrocution]] and for the development of the electric chair. {{Fact|date=March 2007}} Since Brown worked for Edison, and Edison promoted Brown's work, the development of the electric chair is often erroneously credited to Edison himself.  Brown's design was based on [[George Westinghouse]]'s [[alternating current]] (AC), which was then just emerging as the rival to Edison's less transport-efficient [[direct current]] (DC), which was further along in commercial development.  The decision to use AC was entirely driven by Edison's attempt to claim that AC was more lethal than DC. Edison proposed that the process of execution by electricity be called not "electrocution", but "Westinghousing". {{Fact|date=March 2007}}
 
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In [[1886]] New York State established a committee to determine a new, more humane system of execution to replace [[hanging]]. Neither Edison nor Westinghouse as part of the [[War of Currents]] wanted their electrical system to be chosen because they feared that consumers would not want in their homes the same type of electricity used to kill criminals.
 
  
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In order to prove that AC electricity was dangerous and therefore better for executions, Brown and Edison, who promoted DC electricity, publicly killed many animals with AC. They held executions of animals for the press in order to ensure that AC current was associated with electrocution. It was at these events that the term "electrocution" was coined. Edison introduced the verb "to westinghouse" for denoting the art of executing persons with AC current. Most of their experiments were conducted at Edison's [[West Orange, New Jersey]], laboratory in [[1888]].
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The first practical electric chair was made by [[Harold P. Brown]], an employee of [[Thomas Edison]], hired for the purpose of researching [[electric shock|electrocution]] and for the development of the electric chair.<ref>Essig, Mark. 2004.''Edison and the Electric Chair : A Story of Light and Death.'' ISBN 0802714064</ref> Since Brown worked for Edison, and Edison promoted Brown's work, the development of the electric chair is often erroneously credited to Edison himself. Brown's design was based on [[George Westinghouse]]'s use of [[alternating current]] (AC), the groundbreaking invention of [[Nikola Tesla]] which was then just emerging as the rival to Edison's less transport-efficient [[direct current]] (DC), which was further along in commercial development. The decision to use AC was entirely driven by Edison's attempt to claim that AC was more lethal than DC. Edison even proposed that the process of execution by electricity be called not "electrocution," but "Westinghousing."
  
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The demonstrations apparently had their intended effects, and the AC electric chair was adopted by the committee in [[1889]].<ref>{{cite web
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In 1886, New York state established a committee to determine a new, more humane system of execution to replace [[hanging]]. Neither Edison nor Westinghouse wanted their electrical system to be chosen because they feared that consumers would not want the same type of electricity in their homes as was used to kill [[crime|criminals]]. In order to prove that AC electricity was dangerous and therefore better for executions, Brown and Edison publicly killed many animals with AC. It was at these events that the term "electrocution" was coined. The demonstrations apparently had their intended effects, and the AC electric chair was adopted by the committee in 1889.<ref>Bellis, Mary. [http://inventors.about.com/od/hstartinventions/a/Electric_Chair.htm The History of the Electric Chair.] Retrieved May 22, 2007.</ref>  
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| author=Mary Bellis
 
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| title=Death and Money - The History of the Electric Chair
 
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}}</ref> The first person to be executed via the electric chair was [[William Kemmler]] in New York's Auburn Prison on [[August 6]], [[1890]]; the 'state electrician' was [[Edwin Davis]]. The Westinghouse company refused to sell an AC generator for the purpose of execution, so Edison and Brown used subterfuge in order to acquire the AC generator. They pretended that the Westinghouse AC generator was for use in a university.
 
  
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The first woman to be executed in the electric chair was [[Martha M. Place]], executed at [[Sing Sing (prison)|Sing Sing]] Prison on [[March 20]], [[1899]]. It was adopted by Ohio (1897), Massachusetts (1900), New Jersey (1906) and Virginia (1908), and soon became the prevalent method of execution in the U.S., replacing [[hanging]]. It remained so until the mid-[[1980s]], when [[lethal injection]] became widely accepted as an easier method for conducting judicial executions.
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The first person to be executed via the electric chair was [[William Kemmler]] in New York's [[Auburn Prison]] on August 6, 1890; the "state electrician" was [[Edwin Davis]]. The first woman to be executed in the electric chair was [[Martha M. Place]], executed at [[Sing Sing (prison)|Sing Sing]] Prison on March 20, 1899. It was adopted by [[Ohio]] (1897), [[Massachusetts]] (1900), [[New Jersey]] (1906), and [[Virginia]] (1908), and soon became the prevalent method of execution in the United States, replacing [[hanging]]. It remained so until the mid-1980s, when [[lethal injection]] became widely accepted as an easier and more humane method for conducting judicial executions.
  
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In 1900, Charles Justice was a prison inmate at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. While performing cleaning detail duties in the death chamber, he devised an idea to improve the efficiency of the restraints on the electric chair.   Justice designed metal clamps to replace the leather straps, thus allowing for the inmate to be secured more tautly and minimize the problem of burnt flesh.   These revisions were incorporated into the chair and Justice was subsequently paroled from prison. Ironically, he was convicted in a robbery/murder and returned to prison 13 years later under a death sentence. On [[November 9]], [[1911]], he died in the same electric chair that he had helped to improve.<ref>http://www.cuadp.org/polmoney.html</ref>
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In 1900, Charles Justice was a prison inmate at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. While performing cleaning detail duties in the death chamber, he devised an idea to improve the efficiency of the restraints on the electric chair. He designed metal clamps to replace the leather straps, thus allowing for the inmate to be secured more tautly and minimize the problem of burnt flesh. These revisions were incorporated into the chair and Justice was subsequently [[parole]]d from prison. Ironically, he was convicted in a [[robbery]]/[[murder]] and returned to prison 13 years later under a [[death penalty|death sentence]]. On November 9, 1911, he died in the same electric chair that he had helped to improve.<ref>Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. [http://www.cuadp.org/polmoney.html "Politics, money, and a simple sense of fairness"] Retrieved April 14, 2007.</ref>
  
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A record was set on [[July 13]], [[1928]] when seven men were executed, one after another, in the electric chair at Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville. In 1942, six Germans convicted of [[espionage]] in the [[Ex parte Quirin|Quirin Case]] were put to death in the [[District of Columbia]] jail electric chair.
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A record was set on July 13, 1928, when seven men were executed, one after another, in the electric chair at Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville. In 1942, six Germans convicted of [[espionage]] in the [[Quirin Case]] were put to death in the District of Columbia jail electric chair.
  
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Notable deaths by electric chair include [[Leon Czolgosz]], [[Giuseppe Zangara]], [[Lepke Buchalter]], [[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]], [[Charles Starkweather]], and [[Ted Bundy]].
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From 1924 to 1976, the electric chair was used as method of capital punishment in the [[Philippines]]. Other than the Philippines, the electric chair has not been widely adopted outside of the United States.<ref>''Encyclopedia Britannica.'' [http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9032298 Electrocution.] Retrieved April 21, 2007.</ref>
  
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On [[May 25]], [[1979]], [[John Arthur Spenkelink]] became the first electrocuted person after the ''[[Gregg v. Georgia]]'' decision by the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] in U.S. in [[1976]]. He was the first person to be executed in this manner since [[1966]].
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===Decline===
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The use of the electric chair has declined as legislators sought what they believed to be more humane methods of execution. [[Lethal injection]] became the most popular method, helped by [[newspaper]] accounts of botched electrocutions.
  
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The last person who involuntarily was executed via the electric chair, however, was [[Lynda Lyon Block]] on [[May 10]], [[2002]] in [[Alabama]].
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In the state of Florida, on July 8 1999, [[Allen Lee Davis]] convicted of murder was executed in the Florida electric chair "Old Sparky." Davis' face was bloodied and [[photograph]]s taken, which were later posted on the [[internet]]. The 1997 execution of Pedro Medina created controversy when flames burst from the inmate's head. Since 2006, lethal injection has been the method of execution used in the state of Florida.
  
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A number of states still allow the condemned person to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. In all, seven inmates nationwide, 4 in [[Virginia]], 2 in [[South Carolina]] and 1 in Arkansas have opted for electrocution over lethal injection.  The last use of the chair (as of 2006) was on [[July 20]], [[2006]], when [[Brandon Hedrick]] was electrocuted in Virginia. He elected this method. Before that, it had not been used since [[May 2004]], when [[James Neil Tucker]] was electrocuted in South Carolina. He refused to elect his execution method.
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The electric chair has also been criticized because of several instances in which the subjects were not instantly killed, but had to be subjected to multiple  electric shocks. This led to a call for ending of the practice because many saw it as [[cruel and unusual punishment]].<ref>Capital Defense Weekly. [http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/chair.htm The Shocking Truth About Death in the Electric Chair] Retrieved April 14, 2007.</ref>
  
 
==Method==
 
==Method==
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{{Unreferenced|date=November 2006}}
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The head and legs of the condemned person are shaved and the prisoner is strapped into the chair. A moist sponge is placed on the head to aid conductivity. One [[electrode]] is attached to the head and a second attached to the leg to provide a closed circuit. At least two jolts of an electrical current are applied with the time and current depending on the physical state of the condemned person. Typically, an initial voltage of around 2,000 [[volt]]s is applied for up to 15 seconds both to induce unconsciousness and to stop the heart. The voltage is then lowered to reduce current flow to approximately 8 [[ampere|amp]]s. The body of the person may heat up to approximately 138°F (59°C), and the electric current will generally cause severe damage to internal organs.
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The head and legs of the condemned person are shaved and the prisoner is strapped into the chair. A moist sponge is placed on the head to aid conductivity. One electrode is attached to the head and a second attached to the leg to provide a closed circuit. At least two jolts of an electrical current are applied with the time and current depending on the physical state of the condemed person. Typically an initial voltage of around 2,000 [[volt]]s is applied for up to 15 seconds to attempt both to induce unconsciousness and to stop the heart. The voltage is then lowered to reduce current flow to approximately 8 [[ampere|amp]]s. The body of the person may heat up to approximately 138°F (59°C), and the electric current will generally cause severe damage to internal organs.
 
  
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In theory, unconsciousness occurs in a fraction of a second. However, there are multiple reports of things going wrong during the process. There have been incidents of a person's head on fire; of burning [[transformer]]s, and of a chair breaking down after the initial jolt and letting the condemned wait in pain on the floor of the execution room while the chair was fixed.  In [[1946]], the electric chair failed to execute [[Willie Francis]], who reportedly shrieked "Stop it! Let me breathe!" as he was being executed. It turned out that the portable electric chair had been improperly set up by an intoxicated trustee. A case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court ''([[Francis v. Resweber]])'',<ref>U.S. Supreme Court case, Francis v. Resweber: {{ussc|329|459|[[1947]]}}</ref> with lawyers for the condemned arguing that although Francis did not die, he had, in fact, been executed. The argument was rejected on the basis that re-execution did not violate the [[double jeopardy]] clause of the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution, and Francis was returned to the electric chair and successfully executed the following year.
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In theory, unconsciousness occurs in a fraction of a second. However, there are multiple reports of mishaps during the process. There have been incidents of a person's head on fire; of burning [[transformer]]s, and of a chair breaking down after the initial jolt and letting the condemned wait in pain on the floor of the execution room while the chair was fixed.  
  
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Regardless of how the execution is performed, cleaning up afterwards is unpleasant. Skin is inevitably burned and prison workers have to separate the burnt skin from the seat belts. The initial flow of electric current may cause the person to lose control over many bodily functions, including muscle movement, urination and defecation. To mitigate this, alterations to modern electric chairs include padding and inertia style retractable seat belts.
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In 1946, the electric chair failed to execute [[Willie Francis]], who reportedly shrieked "Stop it! Let me breathe!" as he was being executed. It turned out that the portable electric chair had been improperly set up by an intoxicated trustee. A case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court ''(Francis v. Resweber)'',<ref>U.S. Supreme Court case, Francis v. Resweber: {{ussc|329|459|1947}} Retrieved April 25, 2007.</ref> with lawyers for the condemned arguing that although Francis did not die, he had, in fact, been executed. The argument was rejected on the basis that re-execution did not violate the [[double jeopardy]] clause of the 5th Amendment of the [[US Constitution]], and Francis was returned to the electric chair and successfully executed the following year.
  
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==Decline==
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Regardless of how the execution is performed, cleaning up afterwards is unpleasant. Skin is inevitably burned and prison workers have to separate the burnt skin from the chair's restraints. The initial flow of electric current may cause the person to lose control over many bodily functions, including muscle movement, urination, and defecation. To mitigate this, alterations to modern electric chairs include padding and inertia style retractable restraints.
  
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The use of the electric chair has declined as legislators sought what they believed to be more humane methods of execution. [[Lethal injection]] became the most popular method, helped by newspaper accounts of botched electrocutions in the early 1980s.
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==Electric Chair Today==
  
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As of [[As of 2006|2006]], the only places in the world which still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution are the U.S. states of [[Alabama]], [[Florida]], [[Nebraska]], [[South Carolina]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Texas]], and [[Virginia]]. ([[Oklahoma]] and [[Illinois]] laws provide for its use should lethal injection ever be held to be unconstitutional.) Except for Nebraska, where it remains the only method of execution, inmates in the other states must select it or lethal injection. In the state of Florida, on [[July 8]] [[1999]], [[Allen Lee Davis]] convicted of murder was executed in the Florida electric chair "[[Old Sparky]]". Davis' face was bloodied and photographs taken, which were later posted on the internet. The 1997 execution of Pedro Medina created controversy when flames burst from the inmate's head. Lethal injection is now, as of [[2006]], the primary method of execution in the state of Florida.
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In the late twentieth century, the electric chair was removed as a form of execution in many U.S. states. A number of states continued to allow the condemned person to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. [[James Neil Tucker]], after refusing to elect his execution method, was electrocuted in [[South Carolina]] in May, 2004. [[Brandon Hedrick]], who elected to use the chair, was electrocuted in Virginia on July 20, 2006.<ref>Fox News. [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,203188,00.html?sPage=fnc.specialsections/lawcenter Virginia Death Row Inmate Chooses Electric Chair as Execution Method.] Retrieved April 14, 2007.</ref>
  
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The electric chair has also been criticized because of several instances in which the subjects were not instantly killed, but had to be subjected to multiple  electric shocks. This led to a call for ending of the practice because many see it as [[cruel and unusual punishment]] [http://capitaldefenseweekly.com/chair.htm].  Trying to address such concerns, Nebraska's new electrocution protocol calls for administration of a 15-second-long jolt of 2,450 volts of electricity; after a 15-minute wait, a coroner then checks for signs of life (previously, an initial eight-second jolt of 2,450 volts was administered, followed by a one-second pause, then a 22-second jolt at 480 volts. After a 20-second break, the cycle was repeated three more times).  Death penalty abolitionists in the state hope to see electrocution ruled as cruel and unusual punishment, leaving the state without a legal way of administering the [[death penalty]] if lethal injection is not legalized{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.
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In the states of [[Kentucky]] and [[Tennessee]], the electric chair has been retired except for those whose capital crimes were committed prior to legislated dates in 1998. In both Kentucky and Tennessee, the method of execution authorized for crimes committed after these dates is [[lethal injection]]. The electric chair is an alternate form of execution approved for potential use in [[Illinois]] and [[Oklahoma]] if other forms of execution are found unconstitutional in the state at the time of execution. In Florida, the condemned may choose death by electrocution, but the default is lethal injection.<ref>Death Penalty Information Center. [http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?scid=8&did=245 Methods of Execution.] Retrieved April 14, 2007.</ref>
  
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==Some notable executions by electrocution==
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==Notes==
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* [[William Kemmler]] ([[1890]], [[New York]], first electrocution ever)
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<references/>
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* [[Martha M. Place]] ([[1899]] New York, first woman put to death by chair)
 
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* [[Leon Czolgosz]] ([[1901]], New York)
 
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* [[Chester Gilette]] ([[1908]], New York)
 
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* [[Arthur Hodges]] ([[1914]], [[Arkansas]])
 
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* [[Sacco and Vanzetti]] ([[1927]], [[Massachusetts]])
 
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* [[Ruth Snyder]] ([[1928]], New York)
 
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* [[Giuseppe Zangara]] ([[1933]], [[Florida]])
 
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* [[Albert Fish]] ([[1936]], New York)
 
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* [[Bruno Hauptmann]] ([[1936]], [[New Jersey]])
 
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* [[Anna Marie Hahn]] ([[1938]], [[Ohio]])
 
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* [[Philadelphia Poison Ring|Herman and Paul Petrillo]] ([[1941]], [[Pennsylvania]])
 
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* [[Ex parte Quirin|Nazi agents]] ([[1942]], [[Washington, D.C.]])
 
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* [[Louis Lepke]] ([[1944]], New York)
 
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* [[Willie Francis]] ([[1947]], [[Louisiana]], see: ''[[Francis v. Resweber]]'')
 
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* [[Julius and Ethel Rosenberg]] ([[1953]], New York)
 
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* [[Rhonda Belle Martin]] ([[1957]], [[Alabama]], last woman executed by this manner in pre-Furman period, see: ''[[Furman v. Georgia]]'')
 
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* [[Charles Starkweather]] ([[1959]], [[Nebraska]])
 
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* [[James French (murderer)|James French]] ([[1966]], [[Oklahoma]], last pre-''Furman'' execution via electric chair)
 
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* [[John Spenkelink]] ([[1979]], Florida, first post-''Furman'' electrocution)
 
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* [[John Louis Evans]] ([[1983]], Alabama)
 
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* [[Ted Bundy]] ([[1989]], Florida)
 
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* [[Pedro Medina]] ([[1997]], Florida)
 
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* [[Judias V. Buenoano]] ([[1998]], Florida, first post-"Furman" electrocution of a woman )
 
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* [[Allen Lee Davis]] ([[1999]], Florida)
 
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* [[Earl Conrad Bramblett]] ([[2003]], [[Virginia]])
 
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* [[James Neil Tucker]] ([[2004]], [[South Carolina]])
 
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* [[Brandon Hedrick]]  ([[2006]], Virginia)
 
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==Trivia==
 
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* Minutes of the British War Cabinet released in 2006 show that in December [[1942]], [[Winston Churchill]] proposed that [[Adolf Hitler]] - if caught - should be summarily executed in an electric chair, obtained from the USA. 'This man is the mainspring of evil. Instrument - electric chair, for [[gangster]]s, no doubt available on [[Lend-Lease|lease-lend]]'.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/releases/2006/january/january1/war_crimes.htm|title=War crimes and war criminals, meeting held on July 6, 1942|accessdate=2006-04-25}}</ref>
 
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* Edwin F. Davis, who threw the switch for the very first electric chair execution (of William Kemmler), received a U.S. Patent for his "Electrocution-Chair" (U.S. Patent No. 587,649, Patented August 3, 1897).  Davis would continue as an executioner for twenty-four years, throwing the switch on 240 condemned men.
 
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* H. P. [[Lovecraft]] published in 1930 on ''Weird Tales'' 16 No. 2 a notable tale about the introduction of such a new execution mean: [http://www.noveltynet.org/content/books/lovecraft/collab/html/electricexecutioner.html The Electric Executioner, by H. P. Lovecraft and Adolphe de Castro]
 
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* Slang term for being executed in electric chair is "riding the lightning". [[Metallica]] has made an [[Ride the Lightning|album]] named after this, with its [[Ride the Lightning (song)|title track]] being topical about the electric chair.
 
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* [[Johnny Cash]] had a hit with a song about being executed via the electric chair. Originally written by [[Nick Cave]], "The Mercy Seat" described the execution of a man who proclaimed his innocence up until the minute he was about to die - when he then said that he was guilty.
 
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== See also ==
 
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* [[Electric shock]]
 
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* [[Capital punishment]]
 
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* [[Yellow Mama]]
 
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* [[Old Sparky]]
 
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* [[Gruesome Gertie]]
 
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* [[State Electrician]]
 
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* [[Edwin Davis]]
 
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* [[Robert Elliott]]
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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<references/>
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*Brandon, Craig. ''The Electric Chair: An Unnatural American History.'' McFarland and Company, 1999. ISBN 0786406860
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*Essig, Mark. ''Edison and the Electric Chair : A Story of Light and Death.'' New York : Walker & Company, 2004. ISBN 0802714064
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==External links==
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*Metzger, Th. ''Blood and Volts: Edison, Tesla, & the Electric Chair.'' Autonomedia, 1996. ISBN 1570270600
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*[http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/starke/electricity.html Instruction manual for an electric chair purchased by the state of Tennessee]
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*Moran, Richard. ''Executioner's Current: Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the Invention of the Electric Chair.'' Vintage, 2003. ISBN 037572446X
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*[http://www.ccadp.org/electricchair.htm History of the electric chair]
 
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*[http://users.bestweb.net/~rg/Electric%20Chairs/Americas%20Electric%20Chairs.htm Another electric chair history from "Before the Needles". Includes photos of almost all the chairs]
 
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*[http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=329&invol=459 ''State of Louisiana Ex Rel. Francis v. Resweber'', 329 U.S. 459 (1947)]
 
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* [http://memory.loc.gov/mbrs/lcmp001/m1b38298.rm Film]: Reenactment of the execution of [[Leon Czolgosz]] in the electric chair, early film from [[1901]], Library of Congress archives (.rm format; offline viewable)
 
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* [http://www.patrickcrusade.org/fryhim.htm "Patrick crusade"]
 
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* [http://thegreenmile.warnerbros.com The Green Mile]
 
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Latest revision as of 02:55, 29 December 2021


The first electric chair, which was used to execute William Kemmler in 1890

The electric chair is an execution method in which the person being killed is strapped to a chair and electrocuted through electrodes placed on their body. This execution method is used mostly in the United States, and has become a symbol of the death penalty there. Although introduced in an effort to provide a more humane method of killing the condemned criminals than the previously common hanging, the electric chair itself has been criticized as inhumane. This became of particular concern following reports of electrocutions in which the equipment failed, resulting in prolonged pain and suffering for the prisoners. The introduction of lethal injections, which were either used as an option or replaced the electric chair entirely, depending on the state, was a step in solving this problem.

Since the late twentieth century use of the electric chair has been in decline, with Nebraska the last state using solely this method. Additionally, as opposition to the death penalty has increased, with many jurisdictions abolishing this punishment, the age of the electric chair is all but over, marking another significant advance for humankind.

History

██ Only electric chair ██ Secondary method only ██ Once used electric chair, but does not today ██ Has never used electric chair (includes Alaska and Hawaii)]] The idea of using electric current as a method of execution was developed by Alfred P. Southwick after he witnessed an intoxicated man die after having touched an exposed terminal on a live generator.[1]

The first practical electric chair was made by Harold P. Brown, an employee of Thomas Edison, hired for the purpose of researching electrocution and for the development of the electric chair.[2] Since Brown worked for Edison, and Edison promoted Brown's work, the development of the electric chair is often erroneously credited to Edison himself. Brown's design was based on George Westinghouse's use of alternating current (AC), the groundbreaking invention of Nikola Tesla which was then just emerging as the rival to Edison's less transport-efficient direct current (DC), which was further along in commercial development. The decision to use AC was entirely driven by Edison's attempt to claim that AC was more lethal than DC. Edison even proposed that the process of execution by electricity be called not "electrocution," but "Westinghousing."

In 1886, New York state established a committee to determine a new, more humane system of execution to replace hanging. Neither Edison nor Westinghouse wanted their electrical system to be chosen because they feared that consumers would not want the same type of electricity in their homes as was used to kill criminals. In order to prove that AC electricity was dangerous and therefore better for executions, Brown and Edison publicly killed many animals with AC. It was at these events that the term "electrocution" was coined. The demonstrations apparently had their intended effects, and the AC electric chair was adopted by the committee in 1889.[3]

The first person to be executed via the electric chair was William Kemmler in New York's Auburn Prison on August 6, 1890; the "state electrician" was Edwin Davis. The first woman to be executed in the electric chair was Martha M. Place, executed at Sing Sing Prison on March 20, 1899. It was adopted by Ohio (1897), Massachusetts (1900), New Jersey (1906), and Virginia (1908), and soon became the prevalent method of execution in the United States, replacing hanging. It remained so until the mid-1980s, when lethal injection became widely accepted as an easier and more humane method for conducting judicial executions.

In 1900, Charles Justice was a prison inmate at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus. While performing cleaning detail duties in the death chamber, he devised an idea to improve the efficiency of the restraints on the electric chair. He designed metal clamps to replace the leather straps, thus allowing for the inmate to be secured more tautly and minimize the problem of burnt flesh. These revisions were incorporated into the chair and Justice was subsequently paroled from prison. Ironically, he was convicted in a robbery/murder and returned to prison 13 years later under a death sentence. On November 9, 1911, he died in the same electric chair that he had helped to improve.[4]

A record was set on July 13, 1928, when seven men were executed, one after another, in the electric chair at Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville. In 1942, six Germans convicted of espionage in the Quirin Case were put to death in the District of Columbia jail electric chair.

From 1924 to 1976, the electric chair was used as method of capital punishment in the Philippines. Other than the Philippines, the electric chair has not been widely adopted outside of the United States.[5]

Decline

The use of the electric chair has declined as legislators sought what they believed to be more humane methods of execution. Lethal injection became the most popular method, helped by newspaper accounts of botched electrocutions.

In the state of Florida, on July 8 1999, Allen Lee Davis convicted of murder was executed in the Florida electric chair "Old Sparky." Davis' face was bloodied and photographs taken, which were later posted on the internet. The 1997 execution of Pedro Medina created controversy when flames burst from the inmate's head. Since 2006, lethal injection has been the method of execution used in the state of Florida.

The electric chair has also been criticized because of several instances in which the subjects were not instantly killed, but had to be subjected to multiple electric shocks. This led to a call for ending of the practice because many saw it as cruel and unusual punishment.[6]

Method

The head and legs of the condemned person are shaved and the prisoner is strapped into the chair. A moist sponge is placed on the head to aid conductivity. One electrode is attached to the head and a second attached to the leg to provide a closed circuit. At least two jolts of an electrical current are applied with the time and current depending on the physical state of the condemned person. Typically, an initial voltage of around 2,000 volts is applied for up to 15 seconds both to induce unconsciousness and to stop the heart. The voltage is then lowered to reduce current flow to approximately 8 amps. The body of the person may heat up to approximately 138°F (59°C), and the electric current will generally cause severe damage to internal organs.

In theory, unconsciousness occurs in a fraction of a second. However, there are multiple reports of mishaps during the process. There have been incidents of a person's head on fire; of burning transformers, and of a chair breaking down after the initial jolt and letting the condemned wait in pain on the floor of the execution room while the chair was fixed.

In 1946, the electric chair failed to execute Willie Francis, who reportedly shrieked "Stop it! Let me breathe!" as he was being executed. It turned out that the portable electric chair had been improperly set up by an intoxicated trustee. A case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court (Francis v. Resweber),[7] with lawyers for the condemned arguing that although Francis did not die, he had, in fact, been executed. The argument was rejected on the basis that re-execution did not violate the double jeopardy clause of the 5th Amendment of the US Constitution, and Francis was returned to the electric chair and successfully executed the following year.

Regardless of how the execution is performed, cleaning up afterwards is unpleasant. Skin is inevitably burned and prison workers have to separate the burnt skin from the chair's restraints. The initial flow of electric current may cause the person to lose control over many bodily functions, including muscle movement, urination, and defecation. To mitigate this, alterations to modern electric chairs include padding and inertia style retractable restraints.

Electric Chair Today

In the late twentieth century, the electric chair was removed as a form of execution in many U.S. states. A number of states continued to allow the condemned person to choose between electrocution and lethal injection. James Neil Tucker, after refusing to elect his execution method, was electrocuted in South Carolina in May, 2004. Brandon Hedrick, who elected to use the chair, was electrocuted in Virginia on July 20, 2006.[8]

In the states of Kentucky and Tennessee, the electric chair has been retired except for those whose capital crimes were committed prior to legislated dates in 1998. In both Kentucky and Tennessee, the method of execution authorized for crimes committed after these dates is lethal injection. The electric chair is an alternate form of execution approved for potential use in Illinois and Oklahoma if other forms of execution are found unconstitutional in the state at the time of execution. In Florida, the condemned may choose death by electrocution, but the default is lethal injection.[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Christen, A.G. and J.A. Christen. Alfred P. Southwick, MDS, DDS: Dental Practitioner, Educator and Originator of Electrical Executions. Journal of the History of Dentistry 48(3). Nov 2000:117-22.
  2. ↑ Essig, Mark. 2004.Edison and the Electric Chair : A Story of Light and Death. ISBN 0802714064
  3. ↑ Bellis, Mary. The History of the Electric Chair. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  4. ↑ Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. "Politics, money, and a simple sense of fairness" Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  5. ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica. Electrocution. Retrieved April 21, 2007.
  6. ↑ Capital Defense Weekly. The Shocking Truth About Death in the Electric Chair Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  7. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court case, Francis v. Resweber: 329 U.S. 459 (1947) Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  8. ↑ Fox News. Virginia Death Row Inmate Chooses Electric Chair as Execution Method. Retrieved April 14, 2007.
  9. ↑ Death Penalty Information Center. Methods of Execution. Retrieved April 14, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Brandon, Craig. The Electric Chair: An Unnatural American History. McFarland and Company, 1999. ISBN 0786406860
  • Essig, Mark. Edison and the Electric Chair : A Story of Light and Death. New York : Walker & Company, 2004. ISBN 0802714064
  • Metzger, Th. Blood and Volts: Edison, Tesla, & the Electric Chair. Autonomedia, 1996. ISBN 1570270600
  • Moran, Richard. Executioner's Current: Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, and the Invention of the Electric Chair. Vintage, 2003. ISBN 037572446X

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