Also in this week's column:
What happens when you are executed by electrocution?
Asked by Ron Talbot of Tyler, Texas
In the late 19th century, it was widely believed that a more modern method of execution was needed to replace the three most commonly used execution methods at that time (hanging, firing squad, and, in France, beheading).
The first practical electric chair was invented by Harold P Brown who worked for Thomas Edison. The first person to die in the electric chair was executed in 1890. A parallel occurrence at around the same time was the scientific discovery of the precise effects upon the body of high voltages of electricity.
For example, according to Dr T Bernstein of the Wallace-Kettering Neuroscience Institute at Wright State University, writing in Medical Instrumentation in 1975, two doctors by the name of Prevost and Battelli demonstrated in 1899 that death from electrocution was caused, not by damaging the brain, but by high voltages of electricity causing very rapid irregular contractions of the heart (ventricular fibrillation) eventuating in the heart stopping.
As for the execution itself, the prisoner must first be prepared for execution by shaving the head and the calf of one leg. This permits better contact between the skin and the electrodes which must be attached to the body. The prisoner is strapped into the electric chair at the wrists, waist, and ankles. An electrode is attached to the head and another to the leg. At least two jolts of an electrical current are applied for several minutes. An initial voltage of about 2,000 volts stops the heart and induces unconsciousness. The voltage is then lowered somewhat.
In one US state, the protocol calls for a jolt of 2,450 volts that lasts for 15 seconds. After a 15 minute wait, the prisoner is then examined by a coroner. After 20 seconds, the cycle is repeated. It is repeated three more times. The body may heat up to approximately 100°C (210°F), which causes severe damage to internal organs. Often the eyeballs melt.
Taping the eyes closed is often part of the preparation for execution by electrocution. The effects of the electricity often cause the body to twitch and gyrate uncontrollably and bodily functions may "let go". Prisoners are sometimes offered diapers.
Although death is supposedly instantaneous, some prisoners have been known to shriek and even shout while being executed in this way. There have been reports of a prisoner's head bursting into flames. There have been reports too of a prisoner being removed from an electric chair that has malfunctioned part way through the electrocution and then being placed back in the chair once it is fixed in order for the job to be finished. Some skin is burned off the prisoner. The burned off skin must then be scrapped off the seat and straps of the electric chair before it may be used again.
Interesting facts
- In 1991, a recommendation was made by two Polish doctors that the thighs also be strapped in. Warsaw Drs L Zynda and K Skiba reported in the Chirurgia Narzadow Ruchu I Ortopedia Poska on the case of a 58-year-old executed male who whose legs were broken by the intense twitching of the legs due to the force of the deadly electric current passing through his body.
- In 1946, an electric chair malfunctioned and failed to execute the prisoner who reported shrieked "Stop it! Let me breathe!" as he was being executed. Having survived, lawyers for the prisoners argued that, although he did not die, he had been executed as defined by the law. In 1947, in the case of Francis vs Resweber, the US Supreme Court ruled against the prisoner. He was returned to the electric chair and successfully executed later that year.
Stephen Juan, Ph.D. is an anthropologist at the University of Sydney. Email your Odd Body questions to s.juan@edfac.usyd.edu.au
FAQs
The first, more powerful jolt (between 2000 and 2,500 volts) is intended to cause immediate unconsciousness, ventricular fibrillation, and eventual cardiac arrest. The second, less powerful jolt (500–1,500 volts) is intended to cause lethal damage to the vital organs.
Is death by electrocution painful? ›
Is Death By Electrocution Painful? Yes, death by electrocution is painful since the electric current produces involuntary muscle contractions, burns, and ultimately cardiac arrest. Exactly how painful it is depends on how strong the current is and how quickly the person loses consciousness.
What is the most painful death row execution? ›
On that basis we determined that the most painful method of execution was Stoning, followed by Gassing, then Hanging, Beheading, Electrocution, Shooting, and least painful, Intravenous injection.
What is the most humane method of execution? ›
Killing a prisoner with nitrogen is the latest attempt to humanely administer capital punishment after lethal injection has been the primary method in the 27 states with the death penalty still in place since the 1970s.
Has anyone survived an execution? ›
This Man Survived One Execution. Now, Alabama Will Try to Kill Him Again—With Nitrogen Gas. That's never happened before in the history of America. Kenneth Smith is slated for execution in Alabama via nitrogen hypoxia.
Is death by electrocution immediate? ›
Death from electrocution can be instantaneous or it can be a lengthy process. A person can receive terrible injuries from electrocution that might not cause immediate death but can lead to death over time.
What happens if a person survives execution? ›
In some medieval societies, a person who survived a death penalty, like hanging, was set free, because it was believed that God intervened in the matter of justice to allow the person to live. However, no society today operates this principle, and a person who survives will promptly be subject to execution again.
Who survived the electric chair 3 times? ›
Richard Glossip, an inmate on Oklahoma's death row, had a message for those advocating his innocence last year: “God has spared me many times, and I know that he will spare me again.” Glossip, 59, was referring to his state's three failed attempts to take his life over the last 25 years.
Why do death row inmates get executed at midnight? ›
Scheduling the execution for 12:01 a.m. gives the state as much time as possible to deal with last-minute legal appeals and temporary stays, which have a way of eating up time. Another advantage is that the rest of the inmates are locked down and, presumably, asleep.
What's the worst execution in history? ›
William Earl Vandiver (1985) – Electric chair. He was still breathing after the first jolt of 2,300 volts. It took a total of five jolts and 17 minutes to kill Vandiver. Vandiver's attorney, who had witnessed the execution described smoke and a burning smell.
People's Republic of China
Unlike the United States, where lethal injection is used, Chinese executions have been carried out by shooting, although the state is attempting to shift toward lethal injections.
Can you have alcohol for your last meal on death row? ›
Contemporary restrictions in the United States
In the United States, most states give the meal a day or two before execution and use the euphemism "special meal". Alcohol and tobacco are usually, but not always, denied. Unorthodox or unavailable requests are replaced with similar substitutes.
Which country executes the most? ›
China is the world's most active user of the death penalty; according to Amnesty International, China executes more people than the rest of the world combined, each year.
Has a guillotine ever failed? ›
The first failed or botched guillotine execution after 1892 may have been in 1793 at the execution of Louis XVi.
Has an execution ever been filmed? ›
The BBC's Peter Bowes in Los Angeles says the only other instance of a similar recording of an execution was in California in 1992 as part of a challenge against the use of the gas chamber. California later abolished that method of execution.
Which queen had a botched execution? ›
The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1542 - 1587.
What does it feel like after being electrocuted? ›
Nerves are tissue that offers very little resistance to the passage of an electric current. When nerves are affected by an electric shock, the consequences include pain, tingling, numbness, weakness or difficulty moving a limb. These effects may clear up with time or be permanent.
What does it feel like being electrocuted? ›
A minor shock may feel like a tingling sensation which would go away in some time. Or it may cause you to jump away from the source of the current. The sensations might feel like they are piercing every bit of your body. It can feel like you got hit by a train or you might not even remember what happened.
What is the pain that feels like being electrocuted? ›
Nerve pain often feels like a shooting, stabbing or burning sensation. Sometimes it can feel as sharp and sudden as an electric shock. You may be very sensitive to touch or cold. You may also experience pain as a result of touch that would not normally be painful, such as something lightly brushing your skin.
