Back in January, we asked if states would be returning to former methods of execution, specifically the electric chair, and now it appears that Tennessee has decided to do exactly that, at least if the Governor of the State of Tennessee gets his way on things.
Thing is — that electric chair form of execution is not swift or pain-free as discussed in our earlier post (with a link to some pretty graphic examples of Florida’s experience with the electric chair).
Of course, there are other legal options out there to lethal injection: gas chambers and firing squads and hanging.
Just last year, a New York law professor wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Times offering his opinion that states should return to the firing squad. He got lots of support.
[ For a list of states with alternative execution methods on the books to lethal injection, go here. ]
What the Tennessee Governor is doing is more than recognizing that the electric chair can be an alternative method of execution; he is seeking to replace lethal injection with the electric chair.
Tennessee was one of the first states to have a big problem with lethal injection executions because of a supply problem, and it was back in February 2011 that Tennessee decided to go ahead with an execution using the same drug that vets use to put down pets, pentobarbital.
So, will Tennessee executions go forward with electrocution now? Go read our prior post on what an electric chair does and see what you think about what Tennessee is doing.