Lethal Injection Vs. The Electric Chair

Many governments have found that death penalty is a harsh way to punish murderers and has been removed from their system. These inhuman forms of punishments include: the electric chair, hanging, lethal injection, shooting, strangulation and others.

There are five ways to execute a person. The five are: lethal gas, lethal injection, electrocution, hanging, and firing squad. The most commonly used are lethal injection and electrocution. Lethal injection is when the people inject a shot into both of your arms. It takes about three minutes until the acid kills you. Firing squad is when a group of people has guns and the shoot at the murderers

The execution style of the electric chair was first used on convicted murderer William Francis Kemmler on August 6th, 1890. The use of electricity is a more modern style of execution. The idea of using electricity to end someone's life was invented to seek a more “humane” method rather than lynching people. Once Kemmler was executed in New York, other states at the time rapidly adopted this new style of execution. It was used up until 2008 by Nebraska until the Supreme Court ruled that the use of the electric chair was “unconstitutional.” For execution using the electric chair, the criminal is usually shaved and placed in a chair with belts that cross his/her chest, groin, legs, and arms. Then, a metal cap shaped like a skull, electrode is attached to the head and a sponge moistened with saline. However, the sponge cannot be too wet or the saline short-circuits the electric current, and cannot be too dry, because then it would have a high resistance. Next, an additional electrode is moistened with electro-creme (conductive jelly) and is then attached to the victim’s leg that was shaved to reduce the resistance of electricity. The prisoner is then blindfolded. A perfect example of how the electric chair works is depicted in The Green Mile. Although it does succeed in killing the criminal, the use of electricity is considered inhumane and the victim takes a while to die. While using the electric chair may not be the best way of executing a criminal, in case of a state or government not being able to obtain lethal injection, the electric chair could be brought back again for

If the defendant was found guilty in one of the thirty five United States that enforced the death penalty, he would most likely be executed by means of lethal injection. Lethal injection has proven to be the most humane way of euthanizing criminals. Before this, up to 4 different methods had been used in the United States. These included hangings, firing squads, gas chambers and the infamous electric chair.

Furthermore, in the 1830s and 1840s capital punishment was targeted nationwide (Henderson, 9). The movement against the death penalty sought to “halt public executions” (Henderson, 9). Public executions at the time were widely attended and seen as a form of entertainment (Henderson, 9). The most popular form of execution at this time (and still today in some countries) was hanging (Beliveau, 202). Although this type of execution was common when carrying out the death sentence, it was not always the most humane. Beliveau claims that “contrary to what is often believed, in the majority of cases it is not the blocking of air entering the lungs that causes death” (202). In addition, the most common types of hanging were short-drop hanging and long-drop hanging (Beliveau, 203-4). Short-drop hanging was the more common of the two and had similar effects to dying by strangulation whereas long-drop hanging was created with the intent of executing someone in a more humane way (Beliveau, 203-4). Other methods of capital punishment include decapitation, lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging, firing squad (Denver et al).

Lethal injection was first adopted in 1977 in the state of Oklahoma and was first administrated in the state of Texas in 1982 (Crider, 2014). Before lethal injection methods like hanging, gas chamber, firing squad, and electric chair were used to execute. The United States has tried to find an alternate method that will not be considered inhumane and painful to the inmate. The effect of lethal injection is now being questioned if it is constitutional, arises medical professionals controversy, and the shortage of drug substance.

Arkansas and Oklahoma laws provide for its use should deadly injection ever be held to be (going against something in the Constitution), for this type of execution the person usually is shaved and strapped to a chair with belts that cross his/her chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap-shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with salt water.Even without any trouble, death (by electricity)s are anything but quick and painless. (as a result) most states with death penalty laws have switched to deadly injection. Only Alabama, Georgia and Nebraska still employ the old (and useless) and terrible and scary method of death (by

Geoffrey Abbott, author of Execution: The Guillotine, the Pendulum, the Thousand Cuts, the Spanish Donkey, and 66 Other Ways of Putting Someone to Death, does a particularly well job explaining and detailing almost every method of execution in the different eras throughout history. He tells of how the people being executed felt and how the executioners felt. He also explains how each execution type was carried out. Executions back in the day were very gruesome, but details on the historical events cannot just be exempted out if you want to explain these hectic methods. Just a few categories covered were: the Axe- this was when a person was put on a wooden block with a space between the neck and then was decapitated. Also there was Bastinado-which was to be beaten with a stick on their feet until they die (by far the weirdest way to execute someone in my opinion.) Also there was the guillotine- when the prisoner was placed on a block and then a heavy blade from above come crashing down on the neck of the prisoner decapitating him (this method of execution was one of the coolest methods.) What is cooler way to go than a huge blade chopping off your head? It is by far one of the quickest and most painless. Another method was Torn Apart by Horses- this is when your arms and legs are tied to a horse and then each horse runs in a separate direction ripping your limbs off. What a way to go. I cannot fathom what it would have been like to be executed like that. Those are just some

There are two main opinions on the death penalty. One opinion is that people believe that the death penalty should not stop. First, the level of support for the death penalty is dropping, but “the majority of americans support the death penalty” (Berman). Americans

The death penalty was introduced to The United States by Britain. There have been over 14,000 executions in The United States since 1608. In 2011, 36 states held 3,158 inmates under the death sentence. Hanging, firing squad, the gas chamber, the electric chair, and lethal injections are all methods that are and were used in the history of The United States. Many individuals do not realize what the prisoners go through before getting executed. They also do not know what happens during the execution. The means of execution can be carried out through what types of executions are there, the development of lethal injection, botched execution through the eighth amendment, and the conflict of a trained medical

Electrocution is not used as the sole method of execution in any state. For the execution of electrocution the person is usually shaved and strapped to a chair with belts that cross his chest, groin, legs, and arms. A metal skullcap shaped electrode is attached to the scalp and forehead over a sponge moistened with saline. An additional electrode is moistened with conductive jelly and attached to a portion of the prisoner's leg that has been shaved to reduced resistance to electricity. Then the prisoner is blindfolded then a jolt between 500 and 2000 volts lasting for around 30 seconds.

Until the 1890s, hanging was the primary method of execution used in the United States as it was quicker than the firing squad and there was no blood involved. The prisoners were hung and the platform below would open, causing a quick neck dislocation. The firing squad was first used in 1913 in Nevada, and was used in the first execution in America. The prisoner is strapped to a chair, has his heart marked with a cloth, then shot at by shooters, killing the person due to a vessel rupture. Seeing as how inhumane these were, the new method of electrocution was built in 1888 in New York, and in 1890 they executed William Kemmler, who is one of 158 inmates to receive electrocution. The inmate in strapped into a chair, has electrodes attached to their body, then are given regular shocks until their heart stops beating. Nevada still found this inhumane, so they developed a lethal gas execution process that would hopefully inflict less pain while remaining cost-effective and in 1924, Gee Jon was the first person of 11 executed by lethal gas (DPIC). The inmate is placed into a gas chamber, where once the room is sealed, is filled with hydrogen cyanide gas (or nitrogen gas). The prisoner is instructed to breathe deeply to speed up the process. Most prisoners,

There are many methods of execution that have been used throughout the years. The most popular have been lethal injection, electrocution, and hanging. The lethal injection is the newest method of execution, and quickly became the most popular one. In 1982 the United States became the first country to use the lethal injection to carry out capital punishment. Lethal injection machine exist, and they were used by several states once, but now most states now opt to perform the injections manually due to the fear of mechanical failure. Electrocution was a popular form of capital punishment in 1880’s. In 1889, William Kemmler was sentenced to death, in Auburn Prison's electric chair, first in the country. Hanging was the primary method of execution

“Between 1930 and 2010, 5,093 people were executed in the United States. As of 2010, 35 states and the federal government authorize capital punishment” (Source #2). The death penalty has been brought to court many times. Today most states believe that lethal injection is the most humane method of execution, but some states still have the firing squad, hanging, gas chambers, and electrocution. “All jurisdictions provide for execution by lethal injections. 16 jurisdictions provide for alternative methods of execution, contingent upon the choice of the inmate, the date of the execution or sentence, or the possibility of the method being held unconstitutional”(Source

In my essay of E4, I didn't choose a side in compare and contrast of lethal injection or the lethal gas when I first draft. I add the side I agree with in the conclusion which I felt it be supported by previews paragraph. In reading out loud to find errors I fix them but I doubt myself. In the writing center I learned that I need to state clearly the different and similarity in my essay and thesis. My work cited I indented in the wrong area but the information was in the corrected