Man will be first to face US firing squad in 15 years - BBC.com

For the first time in over a decade, the United States is set to execute a prisoner by firing squad. Brad Sigmon, a man convicted of murder, is set to be the first individual to face this form of capital punishment in 15 years. This development marks a significant moment in the history of the American justice system, sparking renewed debate over the methods and ethics of capital punishment. As the date of Sigmon's execution draws near, the nation watches with bated breath, awaiting an event that is as unprecedented as it is controversial.

Brad Sigmon, sentenced to death in the state of South Carolina for a double murder in 2002, is set to become the first person in the United States to face execution by firing squad in 15 years. This comes after a lengthy hiatus in the use of this method of capital punishment, which has sparked heated debate among human rights advocates, legal experts, and the general public.

South Carolina's decision to revert to the firing squad as a method of execution was a result of a shortage of lethal injection drugs, which have become increasingly difficult for states to acquire due to pharmaceutical companies refusing to sell them for this purpose. The state passed a law in May 2021, giving inmates on death row the option to choose between the electric chair or a firing squad if lethal injection drugs are not available.

The last time a firing squad was used in the United States was in Utah in 2010 when Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed for murder. The reintroduction of this method of execution in South Carolina has revived discussions about the morality and constitutionality of capital punishment in America. Critics argue that firing squads are inhumane and outdated, while proponents claim that it may be a more humane method of execution than lethal injection or the electric chair.

As the date of Sigmon's execution approaches, the nation watches with bated breath, as this case could potentially reshape the death penalty landscape in the United States.

While lethal injection has been the primary method of execution in the United States for decades, a string of botched procedures and ongoing legal disputes over the drugs used have led some states to consider alternative methods. Such consideration has led to the re-emergence of the firing squad as a legally sanctioned method of execution in a few states, including Utah and South Carolina.

South Carolina's decision to reintroduce the firing squad as a method of execution came in May 2021, after the state was unable to procure the drugs necessary for lethal injection due to pharmaceutical companies' refusal to supply them for executions. The state's new law now mandates that inmates on death row must choose between the electric chair and a firing squad if lethal injection drugs are unavailable.

Supporters of the firing squad method argue it is more humane than other methods, as it leads to instant death if performed correctly. The American Civil Liberties Union and other advocacy groups, however, continue to push back, arguing that the method is barbaric and a throwback to a less enlightened time in the country's history.

Regardless of the method used, the issue of capital punishment continues to spark fierce debate in the United States. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, as of July 1, 2021, there were 2,553 inmates on death row. The impending execution of Brad Sigmon brings these debates back into the spotlight, as the nation prepares to witness its first firing squad execution in 15 years.

Despite its relative rarity in the modern era, the use of firing squads as a method of execution has not gone without legal challenges. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has been vocal in its opposition, arguing that the method is cruel and unusual punishment, a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

According to Robert Dunham, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center, "The use of a firing squad is a method of last resort. It's a measure of how dysfunctional the death penalty system has become." Dunham explains that, with lethal injections increasingly difficult to carry out due to pharmaceutical companies refusing to supply the necessary drugs, some states are resorting to alternative execution methods.

Public sentiment around the use of firing squads is mixed. Some see it as a more humane method of execution, arguing that death is instantaneous and therefore less painful. Others, however, view it as barbaric and outdated, a relic of a bygone era that has no place in a modern justice system.

The impending execution of Brad Sigmon will mark the return of a method of capital punishment not seen in the United States for the last 15 years - the firing squad. This case, set against the backdrop of ongoing debates over the ethics and humaneness of capital punishment, has sparked renewed discussion and controversy.

It underscores the complex and often contentious relationship between crime, punishment, and justice in contemporary society. As the first firing squad execution in over a decade looms, it serves as a stark reminder of the enduring and divisive nature of the death penalty issue.

While it remains to be seen what the lasting impact of this case will be, for now, it stands as a significant moment in the broader narrative of capital punishment in America. It illustrates the ongoing challenges and dilemmas surrounding the use of the death penalty and the lengths to which states will go to carry out executions in the face of legal and logistical hurdles.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c86p0wzjv0do