Our Mission

The Mission of South Carolinians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty is to abolish the death penalty and catalyze criminal justice reform in South Carolina.

Our Vision:

1.Rehumanize

To Learn more about our Pen-pal program and host writing workshops!

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2.Mobilize

To Request a presentation or connect to the SC Justice Partners

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3.Advocate

To track advocacy campaigns and current legislation!

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4.Restore

To Learn more about life-giving alternatives we are working towards

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South Carolina Victim Families: Tell Gov. McMaster to Stop Executions!

Corrections Professionals: Tell Gov. McMaster to Stop Executions!

On Easter Sunday, Roman Catholic Bishop Oscar Cantú advocated for the commutation of California's death row. Bishop Oscar Cantú is bishop of the Diocese of San José and president of the California Catholic Conference. Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article315265447.html

The Oregon Justice Resource Center welcomes friends of SCADP to join their one-day gathering in downtown Portland for everyone wanting learn about and support the ending of the use of solitary confinement in Oregon prisons. At this event, you’ll hear from advocates, experts, and formerly incarcerated people. You'll be exploring the evidence for the physical and psychological harm that solitary does to people, learn about the human costs of isolation, and discover the solutions that can take us to a place of healing and hope.

This event is everyone who wants to learn, whether you already have knowledge of solitary confinement or whether you are new to the issue. They'll explain how you can get involved with ending solitary in Oregon prisons and providing a rare opportunity to hear for yourself what formerly incarcerated people have gone through while in solitary in Oregon.

Interested in sponsoring this event? View their sponsorship menu or contact their Director of Engagement Ali King at aking@ojrc.info.

https://www.ojrc.info/solitary-conference

On this Good Friday, we give thanks for our colleague at Catholic Mobilizing Network, Emmjolee Waters-Mendoza, and her reflection on what this day means for Christians observing this day. Link below and in comments:
https://catholicsmobilizing.org/reflections/good-friday-who-will-you-be/

As SCADP works to abolish the death penalty, we are advocating for more robust support of victim families and survivors of violence.

If you are a murder victim family member or a survivor of violence with connections to South Carolina, SCADP invites you — only if and when it feels right — to read and sign our letter to Governor Henry McMaster urging him to end the death penalty in our state.

If you do not have this lived experience but know someone with South Carolina connections who has survived violence or lost a loved one to homicide, we encourage you to forward this post to them.

Click the link below or go to bit.ly/VictimFamiliesSC to sign the letter!

Interested in learning about the death penalty from a conservative, pro-life lens? Check out this Conservatives Concerned webinar featuring Catherine Glenn Foster, President and CEO of First Rights Global and a Board Member for SCADP! Link in comment below!

https://conservativesconcerned.org/webinar-the-pro-life-perspective-on-the-death-penalty/

James Broadnax did not kill anyone. Texas is planning to execute him anyway on April 30. Here's what you need to know:

🔹 The actual shooter (James's cousin, Demarius) recently admitted he did it. He's serving life in prison. James shouldn't be on death row.

🔹 Demarius's DNA was found on the murder weapon and on one of the victims. The evidence is clear.

🔹 James's trial was tainted by racial bias. Prosecutors removed ALL Black jurors from the jury pool. James was convicted by a nearly all-white jury in Dallas County.

🔹 Prosecutors used rap lyrics James wrote as a teenager as evidence of “future dangerousness”. They exploited racist stereotypes about Black music and transformed artistic expression into a death warrant.

James was 19 years old when he and Demarius robbed Stephen Swan and Matthew Butler outside their music studio in Dallas County in 2008. James, who had no history of violence, did not shoot them. Sending him to the death chamber isn't justice. It is the outcome of a system that is racist at its core.

We are doing everything we can to stop this. We need YOUR help to urge the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Governor Abbott to halt this execution!

Sign the petition: bit.ly/jbroadnax

Then share this post and DM your friends. Let’s keep building support for James!

@tcadp @us_cedp @noosetoneedle @thetiaracooper @life4sonnyb @cifsjustice

#texas #deathpenalty #stopexecutions

Join Raymond Patterson, one of our death row survivors, for the Storytellers Series on April 10th at 5pm at the Allen Ballroom (Singleton Building) at Coastal Carolina University!

The Incarcerated VOICE Initiative presents the first-hand stories of three formerly incarcerated, justice-involved South Carolinians and their experiences navigating the United States criminal justice system. They will share their personal stories of life before, during, and after incarceration and the challenges and successes they experienced along the way. Audience engagement is encouraged.

Limited Seating | Free Entry | Open to the Public | Hors D'oeuvres | Q&A

Contact Dr. Jennifer Schlosser at jschlosse@coastal.edu for more information!

Check out the good work our Death Row Survivor Speaker, Raymond Patterson, is doing with the Georgetown Re-Entry Program! Here's what they had to say about his visit:

Our Voices of Progress speaker series was back on this week with distinguished guest Raymond Patterson.
Raymond’s story includes a 36-year sentence in state prison, 22 of which he served on death row.
“I always knew God had a purpose, and while I was doing time, I was preparing myself to get out. You gotta have a foundation. For me, that’s my relationship with God.
“I took every chance I could to better myself. I took—and then taught—classes on public speaking. I learned about respect; it’s better to be respected than feared.
“Be true to yourself, a man of your word, honest. People will begin to respect you, and you’ll find real opportunities.
“Now I get called to speak at churches, conferences, colleges, schools … I want my life to make a difference.”
Afterward, several guys stuck around to talk more personally with Raymond, who was gracious and inspiring. The last question from men in the program: “when you coming back?”
A big thank you to Raymond for inspiring us with his truth and sharing with us his Amazing Journey.
Restoration > retribution.

Join us TODAY, March 17, from 7pm-8p.m. ET via Zoom for our monthly organizing meetup! You are welcome to attend regularly or drop-in when you have ideas and time to engage. Each session will offer tools and strategies for grassroots organizing as well as updates and opportunities for taking action.

This month, in addition to any campaign updates, we will discuss SCADP's work to promote legislation and activate strategic partnerships! We suggest you attend an info session or have some familiarity with the work of SCADP in advance of joining this group, but it’s not required. Whether you’re a seasoned activist or just getting started, we need you! Go to scadp.org/organizing-meetups to register for free!

Hillary Taylor will facilitate this month's meet-up. If you are interested in co-facilitating the meetups in the future, please email her at info@scadp.org!

One year ago today, the state of South Carolina executed Brad Keith Sigmon in the name of its citizens. At age 67, Brad was (and remains) the oldest person the South Carolina Department of Corrections ever executed. He was also the first person executed by firing squad in the state.

In his thirties, Brad succumbed to severe, inherited mental illness that, at the time, went undiagnosed and untreated. The profound harm he caused the Larke Family and others resulted from this disorder. Even so, Brad never stopped seeking repentance and forgiveness from those he harmed before his incarceration...even when he was on Death Row.

For nearly 25 years on death row, Brad remained a source of strength, spiritual discernment, and support to all who knew him. He maintained a close bond with his immediate family, who depended on his deep faith and steadiness while navigating stressful life events. But the thing Brad is most remembered for is his Christian faith. During his entire sentence, Brad dedicated himself to the teachings of Jesus Christ and came to know the Bible better than most Christians. Because of the way he pastored and mentored his fellow inmates in the faith, he served as a kind of informal chaplain on the Row. Besides Jesus, his favorite person in the Bible was King David--a man who was also eligible for the death penalty, but whom God spared.

Before his execution, Brad tried to share his last meal with the other men on the row, whom he considered his brothers. Brad shared everything he had with others, even tithing 10% of his commissary funds to those on the Row who lacked the same outside support he did. His last words include the following call to action: "I want my closing statement to be one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty."

We hope Brad's story, like many others across the country, will inspire you join our movement to end the death penalty in South Carolina once and for all. Thank you for your love and friendship to so many, Brad. You remain greatly missed.

To join the movement, go to www.scadp.org.

Are you a former or current corrections professional against the death penalty? Did you work in South Carolina, or do you now live in South Carolina? If the answer to both of these questions is "yes," we invite you to add your name to a letter addressed to Governor McMaster to stop executions. This includes any profession within the Department of Corrections, the Department of Juvenile Justice, or the Board of Probation, Pardons, and Parole (e.g., officers, social workers, healthcare professionals, maintenance staff, wardens, administrators, etc.). Go to bit.ly/CorrectionsProfessionalsSC, scan the QR code, or go to the link in our bio to sign the letter!

Last week, Sherrerd Hartness was featured prominently in a Washington Post article. The article discussed what it would mean for victim family members should prosecutors seek the death penalty for Nick Reiner. A co-victim herself, Sherrerd is a is against the death penalty and a frequent speaker at SCADP events. You can view the article by clicking on the link below!

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/02/27/nick-reiner-death-penalty-victims/

Free event! Go to bit.ly/WeightOfWar to register for free!

Across the United States, military veterans are disproportionately represented in the criminal legal system — including on death row. Many entered the system carrying untreated trauma, PTSD, moral injury, and the lasting effects of military service that were never meaningfully examined by courts or juries.

This webinar brings together veterans, legal experts, and advocates to examine how military service intersects with extreme punishment. Panelists will explore the systemic failures that lead to death sentences for veterans, the role of mitigation in capital cases, and why sentence review and second-look legislation are critical tools for accountability, public safety, and justice.

Featuring insights from three veterans: Captain Art Cody, USN (Retired), the Director of the Center for Veteran Criminal Advocacy; Sergeant Ron “Ralph” Wright, Jr., USAF (Retired), Florida’s 27th death row exoneree and FADP Board Member; and Seaman Christina Heady, USCG (Retired), Co-Founder and Head of Public & Policy Affairs for Light After Life Florida.

California’s death penalty is not just broken, it’s racist and unfairly applied.

The biggest predictors of who gets sentenced to death in CA are not the severity of the crime, but the county where it was committed, the race of the victim, and whether the accused could afford a lawyer. In fact, every person who has been exonerated from death row in California has been a man of color. That’s not justice, it’s a system built on inequality.

@cagovernor has called the death penalty “a failure” and paused executions in California. But stopping executions is not enough. There are still over 565 people on death row, overwhelmingly Black and Brown, poor, and failed by a racist system.

It’s time to act boldly and decisively, and to commute ALL death sentences in California.

#CommuteTheRow
#UniversalClemencyNow
#ConfrontRacism
#deathpenalty

@cagovernor
aclu @ellabakercenter

#ConfrontRacism
#deathpenalty

If you're not able to make our Monthly Organizing Meetup tomorrow, we suggest you connect with our friends at Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE)! They'll be sponsoring an event called "How States Ended It: From Resistance to Repeal"

This event is an online, virtual event taking place Tuesday, February 17th 6:00 p.m. EST.

Register for free at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Ic2Ta9dCQSGg52H-S57ZRw#/registration

Our country is at a tipping point, and people are looking to California for moral leadership. Faith leaders, advocates, and exonerees are linking arms and calling on Governor Newsom to continue to exercise strong moral authority and grant clemency in all California death-sentenced cases. We urge him to protect the vulnerable and stand for human rights and human dignity.

#CommuteTheRow #UniversalClemencyNow #ConfrontRacism #deathpenalty
@cagovernor @GavinNewsom smartjusticeca @ellabakercenter @aclu_norcal
@8thamendmentpro

What an incredible day at USC Upstate where Rev. Jimmy MacPhee (a death row survivor) and Holly Sox (daughter of a death row nurse) joined together to talk to 51 people about their experiences with the death penalty! Huge thanks to everyone with The Beatty Center at USC Upstate who made this event happen! We hope to connect with you more in the future!

Join us tomorrow (Tuesday, Febuary 10) at 6pm for our February Monthly Info Session! The session will be an hour-long online conversation to learn more about the state of the death penalty in South Carolina, the work of SCADP, and how you can get involved. If you want to volunteer or simply connect with others across the state interested in abolishing the death penalty, start here! To register for a free Zoom link go to: https://www.scadp.org/event-details/scadp-monthly-info-session-2026-02-10-18-00

This morning, SCADP is proud to support our Board member, Brian Hansen, as he becomes one of 11 men ordained to the permanent diaconate in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston! Congratulations, Brian!

From his bio page on our website: Brian Hansen is an engineer by profession and a devout Catholic whose faith shapes his life and mission. He lives in Greenville with his wife, where together they are active members of their parish community. Brian is especially passionate about his role as a leader in prison ministry, where he shares hope, compassion, and spiritual guidance with incarcerated individuals. Brian's ministry is rooted in a deep conviction that every person, no matter their past, possesses inherent dignity and is worthy of redemption. Through his tireless work, Brian strives to be a witness to God’s mercy, defending human dignity and advocating for the protection of life at all stages.

On the eve of this weekend’s Super Bowl, Pablo Torre of the award-winning sports podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out sits down with Charles Flores on Texas’s death row. In this remarkable episode, Mr. Flores talks about his beloved Dallas Cowboys, watching the Super Bowl on death row, and how he has been fighting to prove his innocence for over 25 years in a sensational case that turns on testimony by a hypnotized witness. In his words, “I believe in good…I just want a fair review.”

If you would like to listen to, watch, and / or share this new episode, “The Wrongfully Convicted Football Fan Who's Running Out of Time,” it is available as a podcast on all audio platforms, as well as a video show on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/0-GnKLFY_Gc?si=Y0Vx1VleJDm2vrBi

Pablo Torre’s previous podcast episode exploring how Mr. Flores has managed to follow the Dallas Cowboys while in solitary confinement on Texas’s death row was nominated for the prestigious Peabody Award in 2025.

Mr. Flores’s wrongful conviction resulted from the purported identification of an eyewitness, made during trial 13 months after the crime. But the jury did not know that immediately after the crime in January 1998, this same eyewitness had described two perpetrators who looked nothing like Mr. Flores, and she had also failed to pick his photograph out of a six-photo lineup. Her identification of Mr. Flores was made for the first time mid-trial, after she had been subjected to “investigative hypnosis” conducted by police involved in the underlying investigation, and only after she had been exposed, on multiple occasions, to Mr. Flores’s photo.

In 2023, the Texas Legislature, inspired in part by Mr. Flores’s case, outlawed evidence obtained from “investigative hypnosis” in criminal trials. But that law came too late to help Mr. Flores and he remains at risk of execution. In the coming days, Mr. Flores will be appealing his innocence claim to the United States Supreme Court.

Every year, SCADP works with incredible speakers to talk about the impact of murder and the death penalty. We are pleased to work with Moses Peterson, one of our Death Row Survivor speakers!

Moses Peterson is a returning citizen from a thirty-eight-year prison journey (two of which were spent on South Carolina’s death row). Originally from Florence, he describes himself as a determined individual, open to adapting and adjusting to new learning. These days, he is focused on sharing his story to make a positive difference with people. You can often hear him saying to others, “Our past is not our future.” When he’s not sharing his story, he loves watching movies, fishing, and spending time with his family (especially his grandchildren).

You can book Moses for speaking events by emailing info@scadp.org!

Here are some basic facts about South Carolina’s Death Penalty System:

Current Death Row Inmates: 25 Men (as of November 14, 2025)

Execution Methods: Lethal Injection, Electric Chair, and Firing Squad

Last Execution: 2025 (Stephen Bryant; November 14, 2025)

Last Death Row Sentence Issued: 2019

Total Executions from 1718-1976: 641 (includes Federal and Military Executions)

Total Executions since 1976: 50 (State executions only)

Economic Background of Death Row Inmates: Impoverished/ Working Class

Location of Death Row: Broad River Correctional Institution

For more information about South Carolina's death penalty system, go to www.scadp.org/the-facts

Honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by calling for the end of all death sentences in California! Join Martin Luther King III to urge Governor Newsom to commute the row by:

👉 Send the Governor a message: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/gov-newsom-please-commute-all-death-sentences/?source=mlk

👉 Sharing this post

Let’s help end the racist system his father and the freedom fighters who came before us fought so hard against. 🫡

Thank you @officialmlking3 for your continued commitment to justice and social change!

We have moved our Monthly Organizing Meetup to next Tuesday, February 10th from 6pm-7pm!

Join us for an hour-long online conversation to learn more about the state of the death penalty in South Carolina, the work of SCADP, and how you can get involved. If you want to volunteer or simply connect with others across the state interested in abolishing the death penalty, this is a good place to start!

To register for a free zoom link, go to https://www.scadp.org/event-details/scadp-monthly-info-session-2026-02-10-18-00

One year ago today, the state of South Carolina executed Marion Bowman in the name of its citizens. His conviction was based on unreliable, incentivized testimony, with no forensic evidence connecting him to the crime scene. Marion’s trial was also marred by the deep-seated racism of his own trial attorney, who was more committed to his prejudice than his ethical duty to represent his client effectively.
Despite having access to evidence to challenge the State’s case, his trial attorney failed to use it on behalf of Marion. His inaction stemmed from a disbelief in his Black client, rooted in racist stereotypes rather than an objective assessment of the facts.

Marion was not just a number or a statistic; he was a father and a grandfather, a man with strong ties to his family, even as he faced the harsh reality of death row. He was a guiding presence, a source of strength, and a constant reminder of the
power of love that transcends even the thickest prison walls. Known for his humor and charisma, Marion served as a beacon of support for his fellow death row residents, offering kindness and encouragement in an overwhelmingly harsh and isolating environment. His peers sought him out and respected him for his ability to lift the spirits of those around him, tirelessly caring for others and even helping to bridge the gap between inmates and correctional staff.

Arrested and wrongfully convicted and sentenced while barely more than a teenager, Marion’s character and resilience continued to shine through. Through his actions, he proved that even in the most unforgiving environments, the desire to better oneself and help others can remain strong. Along with his picture today, we have included his poem, "While I Breathe, I Hope," a reference to one of South Carolina's state mottos. We hope Marion's story, like many others across the country, will inspire you join our movement to end the death penalty in South Carolina once and for all.

Thank you for your love and friendship to so many, Marion. You remain greatly missed.

#tbt to this past December, when SCADP delivered just over $2,300 raised through our In Lieu of Violence Initiative (ILOV) to the Children's Recovery Center of Horry and Georgetown Counties! Their mission is to provide hope and healing to child abuse victims. This organization was chosen during Stephen Bryant's advocacy campaign last October because Bryant grew up in Horry County and could have used their services personally. Pictured here are Louise Carson, Executive Director of the Children’s Recovery Center, with SCADP Executive Director, Hillary Taylor. We are grateful for your incredible work and hope to partner with you again in the future!

Hurt people hurt people, but healed people heal people. SCADP wants to solve the problem of violence in South Carolina. To do that, we need more robust victim services. Imagine all the people we could help if we abolished the death penalty and used those millions of dollars for victim service providers across the state!

To support SCADP's work with other community partners, go to https://bit.ly/Donate2SCADP. We cannot do this work without your help!

"September 30, 1953 was an eventful night for 19-year-old Tommy Lee Walker. After catching a ride home from work at 6 p.m. — he didn’t have a car — he spent a few hours with friends in Exall Park near his home in Dallas. He then visited his girlfriend Mary Louise Smith, who was nine months pregnant. It seemed like the baby would come any minute, and sure enough, Mary Louise went into labor that night. Their son Ted was born in the early hours of October 1.

"Yet despite the many witnesses who saw Mr. Walker the evening before his son’s birth, infamous Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade prosecuted Mr. Walker, who was Black, for the rape and murder of a white woman that occurred three miles across town that same evening. An all-white jury convicted Mr. Walker and sentenced him to death. “I feel that I have been tricked out of my life,” Mr. Walker said at the sentencing hearing. Before he was executed in the electric chair on May 12, 1956, at just 21 years old, he used his last words to proclaim his innocence. "

Read more about the case from Death Penalty Information Center: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/i-have-been-tricked-out-of-my-life-dallas-man-exonerated-70-years-after-execution

We were so excited to see Corinna Barrett Lain for our Virtual Book Club last Thursday! If you couldn't be there, no worries: we recorded the session for you! Click on the following link to check out the Virtual Book Club: https://youtu.be/mV2YqCz4bB8?si=k9hS9gPVxLs-5UKD

Be sure to stay updated with SCADP, as we will be inviting Professor Lain to South Carolina in April 2026! More to follow!

The King family has been part of the fight to end state-sanctioned killing for decades, recognizing the corrosive and dehumanizing effect the capital punishment system has on our legal system. As we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy, his son @officialmlking3 has a message for @cagovernor @GavinNewsom: The time for moral courage and moral leadership is now. #CommuteTheRow and cement your legacy as a leader who stands on the right side of history.

@officialmlking3
@cagovernor @GavinNewsom smartjusticeca @ellabakercenter @aclu_norcal
@us_cedp
@deathpenaltyinformationcenter
@businessvsdeathpenalty

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Our Values:

SCADP's work is grounded in the conviction that every human life has inherent dignity, and that
our justice system must reflect that truth. Our core values of Shared Humanity, Social and Racial
Justice, and Restorative Justice, guide our advocacy, shape how we engage our communities, and inform how we operate as an organization. Together, they represent our vision of a more humane and just South Carolina.