A proposal in South Carolina would add death by firing squad to the state’s list of approved execution methods.
The bill was introduced Wednesday and referred to the House Judiciary Committee for review.
Currently, the Palmetto State allows prisoners to choose between lethal injection and electrocution.
In South Carolina, 158 people so far have been executed in the electric chair. The last time it was used was in 2008 when the state put to death James Earl Reed, a convicted killer who murdered his ex-girlfriend’s parents inside their Charleston County home in 1994. Prosecutors said he was actually looking for his ex-girlfriend.
Prior to the electric chair being introduced in the state in 1911, criminals sentenced to die were hanged—often in public.
Today, lethal injection is the preferred method of execution in the state. According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the first execution in the state by lethal injection was carried out on August 18, 1995.
Death by firing squad could now become another option. The reason might surprise you.
The Associated Press reports that South Carolina is currently among states that have run out of execution drugs amid pharmaceutical companies’ fears of exposing themselves to possible harassment.
Legislation that would shield companies’ names from the public, in the hopes they’d sell the drugs again, has stalled.
The proposal would also allow the state to execute inmates by electrocution if the state doesn’t have any lethal injection drugs.
Several other states are also exploring this form of execution for inmates sentenced to death row. Last month, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed legislation reauthorizing the state to use the firing squad in the event that the drugs required for lethal injection are unavailable. Prior to this, the firing squad was an option, but was only allowed for inmates who chose this method prior to its elimination in 2004.
Oklahoma also offers firing squad only if lethal injection and electrocution are found unconstitutional.
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