As a specialist in the field of criminal justice and legal history, I can provide an informed perspective on the use of the electric chair as a method of execution.

The electric chair was once a common method of execution in the United States, particularly during the early to mid-20th century. However, its use has significantly declined over the years. As of my last update in 2021, only a few states in the U.S. still have the electric chair as a legal option for execution, but they have not used it for many years. Lethal injection has become the predominant method of execution in the United States.

Moreover, the use of the electric chair has been a subject of controversy and has been challenged on the grounds of being cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Some states have abolished the use of the electric chair, while others have it as a secondary option if lethal injection is found to be unconstitutional or unavailable.

In conclusion, while the electric chair is still on the books in a few states, its actual use is extremely rare and largely considered a historical method of execution.

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As of 2015, the only places in the world which 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.)read more >>