Entries tagged with “Mikal Mahdi”
Methods of Execution
,Botched Executions
,Nov 18, 2025
Facts About the Death Penalty – Is there a “Humane” Execution Method?
Some elected officials and legislators have recently promoted some methods of execution as more“humane” than others. But every execution method ever used has been shown to carry the risk of error and malfunction, with the result that the prisoner may experience pain and suffering as they are executed. Exactly how much pain and suffering the law permits is a constitutional question that has evolved with time and society’s beliefs. Methods once viewed as…
Botched Executions
,May 13, 2025
Lawyers Raise Concern as Autopsy Finds South Carolina’s Second Firing Squad Execution May Have Been Botched
On May 8, 2025, Mikal Deen Mahdi’s lawyers submitted to the South Carolina Supreme Court the state pathology report in his case which suggests that Mr. Mahdi’s execution last month by firing squad did not go as planned. Pathologists reported that not only did Mr. Mahdi have two wounds as opposed to the anticipated three wounds from three South Carolina Corrections Department (SCDC) shooters, but also that they missed the intended target over his heart, prolonging his…
Mar 31, 2025
Articles of Interest: Adverse Childhood Experiences, Their Effects on Mental Health, and the Connection to Legal System Involvement
This month marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in *Roper v. Simmons*. In a series of posts anticipating the April 2025 release of DPI’s report commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the *Roper* decision and its implications for emerging adults , we are exploring scientific and legal developments related to juveniles and emerging adults in the death penalty system. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) refer to potentially…