| Death
Penalty: |
YES |
| Prohibit
Execution of the Mentally Retarded: |
NO |
| Life
Without Parole: |
YES |
| Minimum
Age to Eligible for the Death Penalty: |
16 (1 juvenile currently on death row) |
| Number
on Death Row: |
120 |
| Executions
Since 1976: |
48 |
| Race
of Defendants: |
67white (56%), 40 black (33%), 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: |
6.1 per 100,000 (ranked 23rd out of 51) |
| Governor: |
Frank Keating (R). Elected 1998, term expires 2003. Pro-death penalty, (),
|
| |
 |
| Presidential
Vote: |
60% Bush, 38% Gore |
| Public
Opinion on the Death Penalty: |
see attached |
| Organizations
Endorsing a Moratorium: |
Associated Catholic Charities Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma Indian Nations Presbytery League of Women Voters of Oklahoma Mennonite Church in Oklahoma Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Oklahoma Conference of Churches Oklahoma Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers Association Oklahoma Democratic Party, 5th Congressional District Convention Peace House Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa Sisters of Benedict, Red Plains Monastery St. Benedict Church, Social Concerns Committee 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) Death Penalty Institute of Oklahoma* PMB 131 3728 South Elm Place Broken Arrow, OK 74011 Robert Peebles, Michelle Gambino-contacts 918-809-7628-(day) robert@dpio.org www.dpio.org
Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty* PO Box 713 Oklahoma City, OK 73101 Johnnie Carter-contact 405-427-1111-(day) 405-528-1636-(eve) karin@ocadp.org 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. |