The South Carolina Department of Corrections could potentially execute one death row inmate every 35 days as the state resumes executions on September 20 after a 13-year pause in carrying out the death penalty. Source: National Catholic Register.
A recent South Carolina Supreme Court order decided that a five-week interval between executions was “reasonable” and “warranted” but left open the possibility of carrying out the death penalty more frequently if circumstances warrant it.
The ruling came after death row inmates requested a 13-week interval between executions and state Attorney-General Alan Wilson asked the court to permit at least one execution per month. With the court’s decision in effect, the state could potentially execute 10 or 11 people within a calendar year.
In 2024 to date, no United States state has carried out more than four executions. In recent decades, the frequency of executions has declined throughout the country and some states have ended the use of the death penalty altogether.
There are more than 30 people on death row in South Carolina. Freddie Owens, who was convicted of murder, is scheduled to be executed on September 20.
The state Supreme Court announced its plans to schedule the execution of at least five other death row inmates following Owens’ execution.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflecting an update promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018, describes the death penalty as “inadmissible” and an “attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person” (No. 2267).
Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of the anti-death penalty group Catholic Mobilizing Network, said the frequency of executions proposed by Mr Wilson was “reckless” and “would be a major regression”.
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South Carolina Could Execute a Death Row Inmate Every 35 Days as Death Penalty Resumes (By Tyler Arnold, CNA via National Catholic Register)
