electrocution

electrocution

* * *

Method of execution in which the condemned person is subjected to a heavy charge of electric current.

The prisoner is shackled into a wired chair, and electrodes are fastened to the head and one leg so that the current will flow through the body. One electrical shock may not be enough to kill the person; if a doctor does not confirm the death, several shocks may be applied. The electric chair was first used in 1890. Electrocution also refers to death by other causes of electrical shock (e.g., accidental contact with high-voltage wiring).

* * *

▪ execution method
      method of execution in which the condemned person is subjected to a heavy charge of electric current.

      Once the most widely used method of execution in the United States, electrocution applies one or more high voltage electrical currents through electrodes attached to the head and legs of a condemned inmate, who sits strapped to a chair. A typical electrocution lasts about two minutes.

      Electrocution was first adopted in 1888 in New York as a quicker and more humane alternative to hanging. Two years later, on Aug. 6, 1890, New York state initiated its electric chair, executing William Kemmler at Auburn State Prison; in 1899 Martha Place became the first woman electrocuted. Kemmler's highly publicized execution was a grotesque and fiery botch. One New York Times reporter described the incident in detail, noting that it was “awful” and “the witnesses were so horrified by the ghastly sight that they could not take their eyes off it.” Kemmler's face was bloody, his hair and skin scorched, and the death chamber's “stench…unbearable.” According to the three doctors who conducted Kemmler's autopsy, there was “[e]xtensive charring” of the body where the electrodes had been attached. Nevertheless, electrocution was soon adopted in other states and by its peak in 1949 was the method of execution in 26 states.

      The U.S. Supreme Court has never rendered a judgment as to whether electrocution violates the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishments. However, considerable evidence suggests that the method can inflict on the inmate unnecessary pain, indignity, and physical mutilation (e.g., severe external burning and bleeding). Documentation of witnessed executions has shown a substantial pattern of consecutive mishaps.

      Court challenges over the decades, which began with the Kemmler v. case, eventually led most states to abandon electrocution in favour of lethal injection. By the early 21st century, electrocution was one of two methods (the other being lethal injection) that an inmate could choose in several states. ( Nebraska was the last U.S. state to use electrocution as the sole method of execution; in 2008 the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional.) Nevertheless, even in jurisdictions where it was permissible, electrocution was rarely employed for executions, a sharp contrast from the method's earlier application. For example, from 1890 to 1972 (when the Supreme Court commenced its moratorium on the death penalty), electrocution was used in 4,251 executions; from 1976 (when the Supreme Court ended the moratorium) through the early 21st century, it had been used in about 150 executions. Electrocution has not been widely adopted outside the United States, though it was used in the Philippines until 1976. See also capital punishment.

Deborah W. Denno
 

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ÉLECTROCUTION — En toute rigueur, il convient de définir l’électrocution comme étant l’accident suivi de mort et l’électrisation comme l’accident suivi de survie plus ou moins longue. Les accidents électriques se répartissent en trois catégories, selon les… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Electrocution — Électrocution Panneau avec le logo de l éclair signalant un risque d électrocution L électrocution est le décès consécutif au passage de courant électrique dans le corps humain, c est l effet d une forte électrisation. Ce décès peut être dû à une …   Wikipédia en Français

  • electrocution — n. 1. execution by electricity. Note: Electrocution as a form of punishment for crime is usually carried out while the victim is sitting in a chair specially designed for the purpose, called an electric chair, fitted with electrodes that contact… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • electrocution — 1890; see ELECTROCUTE (Cf. electrocute) + ION (Cf. ion). Meaning any death by electricity is from 1940 …   Etymology dictionary

  • Électrocution — Panneau avec le logo de l éclair signalant un risque d électrocution En français courant, l électrocution est une action mortelle du courant dans un organisme[1]. Un décès peut être dû à : une fibrillation ventricu …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Electrocution — The term electrocution can mean either: * murder, accidental death, or suicide by electric shock * deliberate execution by electric shock, usually involving an electric chair; the word electrocution is a portmanteau for electrical execution… …   Wikipedia

  • Electrocution — Elektrischer Stuhl Der elektrische Stuhl ist eine Vorrichtung zur Hinrichtung eines Verurteilten durch elektrischen Strom. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Erfindungsgeschichte 2 Praxisgeschichte …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • electrocution — electrocute ► VERB ▪ injure or kill by electric shock. DERIVATIVES electrocution noun …   English terms dictionary

  • Electrocution — Electrocute E*lec tro*cute , v. t. [Electro + cute in execute.] To execute or put to death by electricity. {E*lec tro*cu tion}, n. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • electrocution — noun see electrocute …   New Collegiate Dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”