The Electric Chair

The Electric Chair

The electric chair is a uniquely American device. The only country outside of the US to ever use it is the Philippines, which ceased doing so in 1976.

As of 2018, nine US states allow the use of the electric chair in the event injections become unconstitutional: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. 

For a somewhat contemporary contraption - the electric chair was first used in 1890 - the method is considered crude and barbaric by 21st century standards.

This alternative is considered due to a shortage of drugs used in the primary method of execution.

Prisoners' heads and calves are shaved to allow a cleaner transmission of lethal voltage.

Then they're strapped into the chair, where 2,450 volts are administered three times in 15-minute intervals in a process that aims to stop the heart from beating. The procedure can also raise the prisoner's internal temperature to 210°F.