The Death Penalty in South Carolina

South Carolina has the death penalty. Murder is punished by death or by a mandatory minimum of 30 years to life; when the state seeks death, a separate sentencing hearing is held, and a statutory aggravating circumstance must be found beyond a reasonable doubt. The law also allows death or life imprisonment for a person convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 11 who has a prior conviction for the same offense. Execution is by electrocution unless the prisoner elects the firing squad or lethal injection (if available) in writing at least 14 days before the execution date; this method law was rewritten in 2021.