Author: Associated Press

South Carolina inmate picks firing squad over electric chair

By Michelle Liu

A South Carolina prisoner scheduled for execution later this month has chosen to die by firing squad rather than in the electric chair. His attorneys have asked the state Supreme Court to halt the execution while another court considers whether the state’s capital punishment methods are constitutional.

Juvenile justice agency agrees to reform main prison

Federal investigators say the agency has failed to protect youths from fights and forced them to spend days or weeks in isolation for small offenses. The Justice Department says agency employees have also harmed children by using excessive force such as choking, punching and kicking.