Joint Letter from Murder Victims' Families and Violent Crime Survivors on South Carolina's Death Penalty

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Dear Governor McMaster and South Carolina Lawmakers,

We are the family members and loved ones of murder victims and/or the survivors of violent crime. We have all experienced unimaginable loss due to senseless violence. While we each have a unique story, our experiences with the criminal justice system and our struggles with grief and trauma have united us. Together, we ask you to do everything in your power to end South Carolina’s use of the death penalty and take steps to ensure that no executions will be carried out.

The death penalty, as it exists and operates in South Carolina, does not serve the needs of victims’ families and the survivors of violent crime.

The death penalty does not prevent violence or make our communities safer. It does not solve crime. It does not provide services for grieving families like ours. It does not help solve the approximately 33% of South Carolina homicides that have remained unsolved since 1965 according to the Murder Accountability Project. The protracted legal process that is constitutionally required in capital cases can exacerbate the trauma of losing a loved one and it creates yet another grieving family. It also wastes many millions of dollars that could be better invested in programs that actually reduce crime and violence and that address the needs of families like ours. Particularly with the federal government’s recent cuts to funding for crime victims’ services, the money South Carolina spends on the death penalty is sorely needed to support programs and policies that actually improve public safety and support survivors.

It is also worth noting that the current system divides murder victims’ families by cherry-picking just a handful of cases to receive a disproportionate share of attention and resources. This sends the hurtful message that some murders are worse than others and some victims matter more than others, even while most of us never receive the services we need in the wake of violence.

We want a justice system that holds people who commit violence accountable, reduces crime, provides healing, and is responsive to the needs of survivors. We want effective responses to crime. On all these measures, the death penalty fails miserably. This is why we now believe the death penalty has no place in our society and should be ended. We urge you to take immediate action to end the death penalty in South Carolina and prevent future executions.

Respectfully,

The undersigned

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