- Restrained in the chairThe prisoner is strapped into the electric chair, with electrodes attached to the head and leg
- Current appliedA strong electric current is passed through the body
- Heart stopsThe current stops the heart and causes death
How this method works, stage by stage. Illustration by DeathRowStats.
This article explains how the method works at the level reported in court records and the news. It does not include doses or technical instructions.
Overview
The electric chair was first used in New York in 1890 and was for decades the most common execution method in the United States. Since lethal injection replaced it in most states from the 1980s onwards, it has become rare: of the 163 electrocutions carried out since 1976, only 19 have taken place since 2000. The most recent was in Tennessee in February 2020. It has not been used in 2026.
How it works
A powerful electric current is passed through the body. It disrupts the heart's rhythm, stopping it, and causes severe damage to the brain and other organs.
How it is administered
The prisoner is strapped into a specially built chair, and electrodes are attached to the head and to a leg. The current is then applied, usually in more than one cycle, before a doctor confirms death.
What the prisoner may experience
Supporters say the current causes loss of consciousness almost instantly. Critics say the method is violent and that its effects are hard to predict. Several electrocutions in Florida in the 1990s went visibly wrong, which led Florida to make lethal injection its main method in 2000. Courts in some states have ruled the electric chair unconstitutional under their state constitutions, while others, including Tennessee's Supreme Court in 2018 and South Carolina's in 2024, have upheld it.
How long it takes
The process usually takes a few minutes from the first application of current to confirmation of death.
Cost
States have not published current costs. Maintaining and testing an electric chair is an ongoing expense even when it is rarely used.
Availability
Electrocution does not rely on scarce drugs, which is why some states kept or restored it as a backup when lethal injection drugs became hard to obtain.
Where it is used
Nine states authorise electrocution: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee. In South Carolina it is the default method: prisoners are electrocuted unless they choose the firing squad or lethal injection in writing. In Florida, prisoners can choose it within 30 days of their death sentence being upheld. In Tennessee, prisoners whose crimes were committed before 1999 can choose it. The federal government does not use electrocution.