The South Carolina Supreme Court has approved the use of firing squads and electrocution for executions, following a 2021 law aimed at addressing the unavailability of lethal injection drugs. The decision allows the state to move forward with these methods, despite previous legal challenges from death row inmates.
The 2021 law was introduced to ensure that executions could proceed even when lethal injection drugs were not available. Justice John Few, in the court’s decision, acknowledged the risks associated with any method of execution but upheld the state’s intent to make the death penalty less inhumane. “The inescapable reality that an execution by any method may not go as planned… does not render the method ‘cruel’ under the constitution,” Few wrote.
With this ruling, South Carolina becomes one of the few states that authorize firing squad executions. Since 1976, only Utah has used this method, and it has been employed three times.
Gov. Henry McMaster commended the court’s decision, asserting that it supports the enforcement of lawful sentences and delivers justice to victims’ families. “This decision is another step in ensuring that lawful sentences can be duly enforced and the families and loved ones of the victims receive the closure and justice they have long awaited,” McMaster stated.
The state has not conducted an execution since 2011, and there are currently 32 inmates on death row. The approval of firing squads and electrocution as execution methods is intended to address the challenges posed by the shortage of lethal injection drugs and to ensure that sentences are carried out.
The debate over the humanity and ethics of these execution methods continues, but the South Carolina Supreme Court’s ruling confirms their legality. This decision is expected to influence future executions in the state, providing a legal framework for their implementation.
