Published in the Gainesville Times January 24, 1989, Retired Detective and Criminology Professor Alex Taylor electrifies the history of Old Sparky — the electric chair. What most people today do not realize is that this form of execution remains an option in several states, including Tennessee, which last used their electric chair on Nicholas Todd Sutton, February 2020.
Some folks are really opposed to taking shots!
Commentary follows the column.
Dad told me once that his school field trips were the best part of teaching. The classroom was great for discussion — academia — but the field brought out the best and worst of his subject matter. Imagine your first observation of an autopsy, taking notes off to the side while a prostitute works an urban shopping mall, or actually sitting in that electric chair after walking past real Death Row inmates. It’s a fact that some sociology professors, especially today, don’t believe in deterrents, citing an increase in prison recidivism. I wonder how society would be if all students were shown the real, often graphic consequences of crime.
