Does The Electric Chair Kill You Instantly?

Does the electric chair kill you instantly? The normal time span to occur death by an electric chair is 2 minutes to 15 minutes.

If you are lucky you can die in 10 seconds even by getting unconscious immediately. And if you are unlucky, you may not die in your first execution, no matter how many jolts it gave to you.

Anyway, the first jolt to give a criminal is between 2000 volts to 2500 volts. We all know how powerful it is. So anyone would have died at once in an electric chair. This article will tell you everything about how much time it can take to kill an inmate through electrocution.

Let us not beat around the bush anymore and get to the topic straight.

Keep reading!

Does The Electric Chair Kill You Instantly?

Well, the victim’s weight and muscle strength are going to decide whether the electric chair is going to kill him instantly or not. However, the electric chair should have taken some time to kill the inmate.

Process of Electrocution:

When the first move is initiated, the jolt is delivered in a powerful way, i.e. 2000 volts to 2500 volts. This jolt is so powerful that it can make the inmate unconscious instantly.

Moreover, he will have cardiac arrest and ventricular fibrillation.

Another jolt will be given to him which will be between 500 volts to 1500 volts. This will cause fatal damage to all the organs in the body. Scrutinizing the process, it’s inevitable that the death of the victim will occur taking very little time.

Precautions To Kill Faster:

In many states, we consider punishment by an electric chair a humane method. It can kill instantly though.

To make the execution successful in a click, the executioner shaves the inmate’s head, since the head and ankles will be attached with electrodes, the execution will make sure those parts are unveiled.

Besides, a wet sponge of salty water is put between the electrodes and makes the inmate wear fewer clothes. Also, the socks and shoes are being taken off.

The Potential Timespan of Death By An Electric Chair:

Such precautions are followed for attempting electrocution successfully earlier. Or else, the victim will go through horrible pain without dying.

Well, no guarantee taking out the clothes, shoes, and shaving heads can give quick results every time. It rarely happens. Sometimes it takes 5 seconds for the inmate to die, sometimes it takes 2 minutes, and sometimes it can take 15 minutes even.

There was a 14-year-old boy, named George Stinney who was executed in an electric chair and died in 8 minutes.

The electrocution took time because the electrodes in his legs weren’t attached properly since his leg was small for. Again, a child named Daryl Holton was also electrocuted in 2007. 1800 volts current cycle.

He died in only 20 seconds in that electric chair. Just a 15-second pause was maintained in between.

Damage In The Body’s Organs:

Usually, the process of electrocution contrives the flow of a huge electric current which is enough to overwhelm the brain and body.

Thus, the person sitting in that electric chair becomes unconscious instantly. Besides, the synapses in the brain burn out and lead to destruction immediately.

The process of electrocution in the electric chair should have killed any person with a click. But as said before, it sometimes depends on the victim and the setup to take time for the electrocution.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Does The Electric Chair Kill You?

The electric chair works by sending a jolt of Alternating Current to make the inmate unconscious and brain-dead. This chair again sends a less powerful jolt to damage the body organs.

As the victim can hardly feel any pain, the punishment in an electric chair is considered a humane method of punishment.

Is An Electric Chair A Painful Way To Die?

Although electrocution takes less time to kill a person, it delivers horrible pain to the victim at a time when the victim is not yet unconscious. But yes, the pain is for a little time. That pain is unbearable for the inmate.

Does It Hurt To Be Killed By An Electric Chair?

It completely depends on the inmate and the setup of the electrocution. As we have already said, some electrocution made the criminals brain-dead within a second.

Whereas, some electrocutions took time, and others attempted to kill the criminal. If the criminal gets unconscious immediately, he will surely feel no pain, otherwise yes.

Is The Electric Chair or Lethal Injection More Painful?

As mentioned earlier, there is no guarantee that you will die in an electric chair instantly. If you are lucky, you will die on the first attempt, or else you will keep feeling the horrible pain.

Lethal injection is painful when inserted. This rushes towards the veins so fast that the victim goes to sleep forever within a few seconds. So I think the electric chair is more painful if death doesn’t occur instantly.

Where Is The Punishment By The Electric Chair Still Executed?

In 2022, there are still some states where punishment by electrocution is an option. They are- Tennessee, Kentucky, South Carolina, Florida, and Alabama.

Final Thoughts

So far, we have known that there is no exact statement that an electric chair can kill you instantly. Sometimes it kills the victim at once, and sometimes it takes a whole day.

We know, electrocution takes lots of series in its attempt. Each series lasts for 15 seconds to 20 seconds.

The criminal may die in the first series. That means he will die in 15 to 20 seconds, which is almost an instant death. Or it can happen that the criminal is feeling everything, he is not dying even after 5 series. That’s going to be a dreadful pain for him.

So this is all. Let us know through the comment section below if you have any queries. Thank you.