Friday’s announcement by the state Corrections Department stated that renovations had been completed at Columbia’s death chamber and that the agency had informed Attorney General Alan Wilson of its ability to execute a firing squad.
State law was amended by lawmakers to avoid the lethal injection drug situation. The May legislation made the electric chair the primary method of execution for the state. Inmates were also given the option to choose death by firing squad or lethal injectable injection if they are not available.
During South Carolina’s lengthy debate, Democratic state Sen. Dick Harpootlian — a prosecutor-turned-criminal-defense lawyer — introduced the firing squad option. He claimed that it was the “most painful” execution option.
Harpootlian stated that the death penalty will be in effect for a while. “If we are going to have it it should be humane.”
Officials claim that the death chamber now includes a metal chair with restraints in the corner of it where inmates will be seated if they choose execution via firing squad. The chair is facing a rectangular opening 15 feet away from the wall through which the three shooters can fire their guns.
The protocols for executions have been developed by state officials. Three shooters will be employed by the Corrections Department as volunteers. They will carry rifles with live ammunition and have their guns trained on the heart of each inmate.
The inmate will have a hood placed on his head. He will then be allowed to make one last statement.
Officials claim that Corrections spent $53,600 for renovations.
According to the Washington-based non-profit Death Penalty Information Center, South Carolina is one eight state that still uses the electric chair and four states that allow firing squads.
The South Carolina Supreme Court stopped the execution plans of two prisoners by electrocution in June. They said they could not be executed until they have had the opportunity to choose from the firing squad option in the newly amended law.
Brad Sigmon’s and Freddie Owens’ scheduled executions were stopped by the high court. Officials had to form a firing squad in order for inmates to choose between the firing squad or the electric chair. In a unanimous ruling, the court stated that the state’s plans were “pending” because of the right of inmates to choose the execution method.
The court will issue a new order to execute any executions now that the firing squad has been established.
The executions were scheduled for less than one month after the law was passed. Officials in prison had stated that they couldn’t get lethal injection drugs. They have not yet put together a firing squad. The only alternative is the electric chair, which has been around since 109 years.
The attorneys for the men claimed that electrocution death is cruel and unnatural, and that the new law will allow the state to use less humane executions. They also claimed that both men had the right to die via lethal injection, the method they chose, and that the state still hasn’t exhausted all options to obtain lethal injection drugs.
Lawyers for the State claim that the prison officials are just following the law and that the U.S. Supreme Court never ruled electrocution unconstitutional.
South Carolina’s final execution occurred in 2011. The batch of lethal injection drug that was used to execute the prisoners expired two years later. On death row in South Carolina are 37 men.
