Alabama Voters and Law Enforcement Divided On Campaign For Electric Chair

DEKALB COUNTY, AL, (WDEF)-Lawmakers ruled that the electric chair is a cruel and unusual way to die.
      Alabama was the last US state to cut the chair’s power flow nearly 14 years ago but the switch could be turned back on.

Cindy Phelps of Rainsville Alabama,"There are times you should have to but i don’t believe that we should sit here in the United States and strap someone down or lay them down and kill them."

A leading criminal justice expert and former Alabama police chief believes there are a number of reasons why there is support for the electric chair in Alabama."

Brent Satterfield, Retired Cop, Criminal Justice Advisor,"There is no drug for it at this time, the drugs are scarce, we have the death penalty but we can’t use it so what they are basically saying is if we got it we should be using it."

Alabama has 198 inmates on death row.
Putting it inside the top 5 states in the US.
     Yet Satterfield believes support for execution is dropping in Alabama despite the proposed bill from Senator Cam Ward

"Right at 64% in favor of the death penalty plus many of our juries are going away from it because there are other options so the actual number of people on death row is declining the number of people being sentenced to death is declining."

Woodville Alabama resident Hunter Franks,"If they cant afford to get the medication then bring back the electric chair. Some people need it."

The average age of an inmate on death row in Alabama is 38 years old.

Senator Cam Ward has filed the bill with support from Representative Lynn Greer ahead of the legislative session that begins in March.