florida stopped using the electric chair, and signed lethal injection into law in 2000.
florida stopped using the electric chair, and signed lethal injection into law in 2000.
when did florida stop using the electric chair, and sign lethal injection into law?
2000
as of 2015, the only places in the world that still reserve the electric chair as an option for execution are the u.s. states of alabama, florida, south carolina, kentucky, tennessee, and virginia. arkansas and oklahoma laws provide for its use should lethal injection ever be held to be unconstitutional. inmates in the other states must select either it or lethal injection. in kentucky, only inmates sentenced before a certain date can choose to be executed by electric chair. electrocution is also authorized in kentucky in the event that lethal injection is found unconstitutional by a court. tennessee was among the states that provided inmates with a choice of the electric chair or lethal injection; in may 2014, however, the state passed a law allowing the use of the electric chair if lethal injection drugs were unavailable or made unconstitutional. in the u.s. state of florida, on july 8, 1999, allen lee davis, convicted of murder, was executed in the florida electric chair "old sparky". davis' face was bloodied, and photographs were taken, which were later posted on the internet. an investigation concluded that davis had begun bleeding before the electricity was applied and that the chair had functioned as intended. florida's supreme court ruled that the chair did not constitute "cruel and unusual punishment". the 1997 execution of pedro medina in florida created controversy when flames burst from the inmate's head. an autopsy found that medina had died instantly when the first surge of electricity had destroyed his brain and brain stem. a judge ruled that the incident arose from "unintentional human error" rather than any faults in the "apparatus, equipment, and electrical circuitry" of florida's electric chair. lethal injection has been the primary method of execution in florida since 2000. on february 15, 2008, the nebraska supreme court declared execution by electrocution to be "cruel and unusual punishment" prohibited by the nebraska constitution.
electric chair
although the electric chair has long been a symbol of the death penalty in the united states, its use is in decline due to the rise of lethal injection, which is widely believed to be a more humane method of execution. while some states still maintain electrocution as a method of execution, today it is only maintained as a secondary method that may be chosen over lethal injection at the request of the prisoner, except in tennessee, where it may be used without input from the prisoner if the drugs for lethal injection are not available. as of 2014, electrocution is an optional form of execution in the states of alabama, florida, south carolina, and virginia, all of which allow the prisoner to choose lethal injection as an alternative method. in the state of kentucky, the electric chair has been retired, except for those whose capital crimes were committed prior to march 31, 1998, and who choose electrocution; inmates who do not choose electrocution and inmates who committed their crimes after the designated date are executed by lethal injection. electrocution is also authorized in kentucky in the event that lethal injection is found unconstitutional by a court. the electric chair is an alternate form of execution approved for potential use in arkansas, mississippi, and oklahoma if other forms of execution are found unconstitutional in the state at the time of execution.
electric chair