WASHINGTON, United States —

 The South Carolina Department of Corrections has revealed that it can now carry out executions by firing squad in the state.

According to an article published by CNN, the department informed state Attorney General, Alan Wilson, on Friday that it had completed renovations on the death chamber at the Broad River Correctional Institution and had established protocols, making it able to conduct such executions.

“In May 2021, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, a Republican, signed a bill into law that made the electric chair the state’s primary means of execution but allowed inmates the option to instead choose firing squad or lethal injection if available,” the CNN article read.

The change was made to South Carolina law as states around the country hit barriers executing those on death row due to problems administering lethal injections, the widely preferred method in the US. Difficulties finding the required drugs have essentially put executions in many states on hold.

The international news source also revealed that there are currently no scheduled executions in South Carolina as executions there had been paused until the state was able to accommodate the firing squad option.

The department has released details on the room set-up and protocols for how a firing squad execution would be carried out.

The article noted that an inmate would be strapped into a chair with a hood placed over their head. A member of the execution team would then place a small aim over the person’s heart. It went on to share that members of the firing squad must meet certain qualifications.

There are 35 men on death row in South Carolina, according to CNN. The state last executed an inmate by lethal injection in 2011, according to the Department of Corrections website.