In The Oklahoman, I have a new column about why juries and conservatives in the Sooner State are increasingly turning away from the death penalty:
Significantly, not a single jury in Oklahoma has issued a new death sentence in the past three years, which is quite a statement given the state’s history. When combined with recent polling that showed 77-percent of Oklahomans support a halt to executions to ensure the process is accurate and fair, it is clear that public opinion in the Sooner State is shifting on the use of capital punishment.
Oklahoma’s use of the death penalty is responsible for bringing the system’s many shortcomings to light, such as the possibility of executing an innocent person. The case of Richard Glossip has made national headlines with the U.S. Supreme Court recently granting him a new trial after decades trying to prove his innocence. The case of Tremane Wood is similar in that he, too, never murdered anyone, but is scheduled for execution by the state of Oklahoma sometime this calendar year.
