| |
 |
| Death
Penalty: |
YES |
| Prohibit
Execution of the Mentally Retarded: |
NO. However, this state must draft legislation with clear and unambiguous language prohibiting executions of persons with an IQ of less than 70 in order to reflect the recent United States Supreme Court decision Atkins v. Virginia, which held that such executions are unconstitutional. |
| Life
Without Parole: |
YES |
| Minimum
Age to Eligible for the Death Penalty: |
16 (1 juvenile currently on death row) |
| Number
on Death Row: |
119 |
| Executions
Since 1976: |
55 |
| Race
of Defendants: |
63 white (53%), 43 black (36%), 8 Native American (7%), 4 Latino (3%), 1 Asian (.8%) |
| Race
of Victims: |
unknown |
| Racial
Make-up of State Population: |
74% white, 8% black, 8% American Indian, 5% Hispanic, 1% Asian |
| Innocents
Exonerated: |
YES (7): Charles Ray Giddens in 1981 (served 3 years) Clifford Henry Bowen in 1986 (served 5 years) Richard Neal Jones in 1987 (served 4 years) Gregory R. Wilhoit in 1993 (served 6 years) Adolph Munson in 1995 (served 14 years) Robert Lee Miller, Jr. in 1998 (served 10 years) Ronald Williamson in 1999 (served 11 years) |
| Columbia
University Study Rate of Error in Capital Cases: |
75% |
| Murder
Rate: |
6.9 per 100,000 in 1999 |
| Governor: |
Brad Henry, (Democrat),
|
| Presidential
Vote: |
60% Bush, 38% Gore |
| Organizations
Endorsing a Moratorium: |
Associated Catholic Charities (Oklahoma City)
Central Oklahoma Labor Council (Oklahoma City)
Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma (Broken Arrow)
Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
Indian Nations Presbytery
League of Women Voters of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
Mennonite Church in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (Oklahoma City)
Oklahoma Conference of Churches
Oklahoma Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association
Oklahoma Democratic Party, 5th Congressional District Convention (Oklahoma City)
Peace House (Oklahoma City)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City (Oklahoma City)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa (Tulsa)
Sisters of Benedict, Red Plains Monastery (Piedmont)
St. Benedict Church, Social Concerns Committee (Broken Arrow)
United Methodist Church, Oklahoma Conference
|
| Organizations
Working FOR a Moratorium: |
ACLU - Central Oklahoma
9718 South Urbana Ave.
1411 Classen Ste 318
Oklahoma City, OK 73118
405-524-8511-(phone)
www.acluok.org
Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma*
PMB 131
3728 South Elm Place
Broken Arrow, OK 74011
Robert Peebles, Michelle Gambino-contacts
918-809-7628-(day)
[email protected]
www.dpio.org
Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty*
PO Box 713
Oklahoma City, OK 73101
Johnnie Carter-contact
405-748-4795(day)
405-528-1636-(eve)
[email protected]
www.ocadp.org
|
| Clemency: |
The Governor has the authority to grant clemency on the advice of the Pardon and Parole Board. The Governor needs a favorable recommendation to grant clemency. |
| Who
Decides Sentence: |
Jury |
| Method
of Execution: |
Lethal injection. Oklahoma authorizes electrocution if lethal injection is ever found to be unconstitutional and firing squad if electrocution is held unconstitutional. |
