Guide Note

The Electric Chair is a controversial form of execution where a criminal sentenced to death is strapped to a chair and electrocuted. The use of the electric chair came in response to a need for a more humane execution system in the 1886. Only the United States and the Philippines have used the electric chair. The U.S. now favors lethal injection as a more humane form of execution.

Fast Facts

Inventor: Harold P. Brown
Only 25 out of the 50 states have used the electric chair
Electric chair first used in 1890
First woman in electric chair 1899
Infamous serial killer Ted Bundy electrocuted 1989
February 2008: Nebraska banned use
Only eight states in the U.S. have the option
Lethal injection is considered more humane

How Electric Chairs Work

A condemned person would be strapped into the chair. Their head, arms and legs would be strapped down as well. The head and arms would be shaved, and a damp sponge would be placed on the head to aid conductivity. Electrodes would then be attached to the body. An electric current would be sent through the body, fatally damaging the internal organs. This method has a variety of gruesome after effects, including burnt skin and loss of bodily functions (urination and defecation). In some instances the condemned person would not die immediately and would have to be subjected to multiple electric shocks.

Constitutional Debate

The electric chair has been used in more than 25 states in the United States. In the Eighties, Lethal Injection became the choice method of humane execution in most states. Nebraska became the last state in the US to deem the electric chair unconstitutional, and favor Lethal Injection in February of 2008. The electric chair remains an option in Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The only other country to use the electric chair was the Philippines who abolished the practice in 1976.

Categories

News | Political Issues and Controversies | Justice System | Supreme Court | Executions

View Note History

The Electric Chair

Also try: Lethal Injection | Capital Punishment | Lethal Injection Decision

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: The Electric Chair
The Economist: So long to Old Sparky (February 14, 2008)
The New York Times: Electrocution Is Banned in Last State to Rely on It (February 9, 2008)
WashingtonPost.com: Nebraska High Court Outlaws Electric Chair (February 9, 2008)
Herald Sun: Electric chair condemned by court (February 9, 2008)
Reuters: State court says electric chair unconstitutional (February 8, 2008)
Video: Execution on the electric chair explained (Time: 3:01)

The Electric Chair Recent News Stories

Google News: The Electric Chair Search
Boston Globe: Nebraska Supreme Court strikes down electrocution (February 9, 2008)
ABC News: Court: Nebraska Electric Chair Not Legal (February 9, 2008)
MSNBC: Neb. high court outlaws electric chair (February 8, 2008)
The Dallas Morning News: Texans' support for capital punishment remains strong (January 4, 2008)

The Electric Chair Background

Wikipedia: History of the Electric Chair
The History Channel: First execution by electric chair
Capitol Punishment U.K.: The electric chair 1889 - ?
Crime Library: Execution Evolves
Wired News: Electric Chairs Being Retired August 5, 2002)
tampabay.com: The story of Old Sparky (September 25, 1999)

Controversy Surrounding the Electric Chair

Washington Times: A Texas tradition (January 11, 2008)
FOXNews: Scot Home After 20 Years on US Death Row (January 9, 2008)
CBS News: Is An Executed Va. Man Innocent? (January 3, 2005)
BBC News: World: Americas US to decide electric chair's fate (October 27, 1999)
BBC News: Despatches UN attacks US execution policy (April 14, 1998)
The New York Times: Despite Fire, Electric Chair Is Defended In Florida (March 27, 1997)

The Electric Chair Commentary and Criticism

FOXNews: Death Penalty Remains Strong in Texas (January 4, 2008)
USA Today: Execution of Fla. inmate that required 2 doses sparks criticism (December 14, 2006)
Time Magazine: Alabama: A Kinder, Gentler Mode of Execution? (February 4, 2000)
BBC News: Executions decline in 1999 (April 18, 2000)

The Electric Chair Message Boards and Blogs

Google Blog Search: The Electric Chair
Democratic Talk Radio Discussion Forums: Electric Chair for Katherine Harris and Ken Blackwell
ScoutusBlog: Last state’s electric chair-only execution ended (February 8th, 2008)
Wonkette: Nebraska Inexplicably Gets Rid of Death Chair (February 8, 2008)

The Electric Chair Central Figures

Alfred P. Southwick

Wikipedia: Alfred P. Southwick
PubMed Central: Alfred P. Southwick
Crime Library: Alfred P. Southwick | The Electric Chair
AmericanHeritage.com: Inventing Electrocution (1994)
Google Book: The Electric Chair: An Unnatural American History

Harold P. Brown and Thomas Edison

Wikipedia: Harold P. Brown | American Inventors
Reformation.org: Harold P. Brown
Crime Library: Battle of the Titans | Condemned
Reformation Online: Thomas Edison unmasked at last!!
Wikipedia: Edison's Publicity Campaign

Theodore Robert Bundy aka Ted Bundy

Mahalo's page on Ted Bundy
Wikipedia: Ted Bundy
Crime Library: Ted Bundy
Biography.com: Ted Bundy
TIME: Crimes of the Century
Florida Department of Corrections: Ted Bundy
The New York Time: Bundy Is Put to Death in Florida After Admitting Trail of Killings (January 25, 1989)

Brandon W. Hedrick

Wikipedia: Brandon Hedrick
WashingtonPost.com: Brandon W. Hedrick
Boston Globe: Brandon Hedrick (July 21, 2006)
FOXNews: Convicted Killer Executed By Electric Chair in Virginia (July 21, 2006)
CBS News: Va. Killer Executed by Electric Chair (July 21, 2006)

Daryl Keith Holton

Wikipedia: Daryl Keith Holton
FOXNews: Tennessee Man Set to be Executed (September 18, 2006)
CBS News: Tenn. Prisoner Set for Electrocution (September 17, 2006)
USA Today: State executes child killer Holton (September 17, 2006)
Boston Globe: Tenn. prisoner set for electrocution (September 17, 2006)

The Electric Chair Satire and Humor

LegalHumour.com: Mr. Chair, You're Unconstitutional (February 10, 2008)
Humor Gazette: Armchair pundits offer electric chair analysis
The Onion: Alabama Environmentalists Lobbies For Solar-Powered Electric Chair (February 11, 2007)

Related Searches

Ted Bundy | Lethal Injection Decision | Lethal Injection | Capital Punishment | The U.S. Supreme Court | Anti-Death Penalty Day

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