A new bill in North Carolina, HB 270, seeks to revive the electric chair and introduce firing squads as execution methods, effectively making inmates select their method of execution. Since 1997, the author has experienced 33 executions and expresses concern over the bill's potential ramifications for the 136 individuals on death row, many of whom have exhausted their appeals. The bill is particularly alarming as it could dramatically increase execution rates after a moratorium that has lasted over a decade, highlighting persistent racial discrimination in capital punishment cases.
The proposed HB 270 bill aims to reinstate the electric chair and introduce a firing squad, forcing incarcerated individuals to select their execution method, with the chair as default.
Over 30 individuals on North Carolina's death row have exhausted their appeals apart from ongoing litigation regarding the Racial Justice Act, indicating severe racial discrimination issues.
Collection
[
|
...
]