Oklahoma Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, a coalition of conservative leaders questioning the alignment of capital punishment with conservative principles, will hold a news conference to officially announce the group’s formation. It will take place on Thursday, August 25 at 2:00 p.m.
Speakers at the press conference will include Adam Luck, former Chairman of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board; the State Coordinator for Oklahoma Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty Brett Farley; and Demetrius Minor, the national manager of CCATDP.
They will call for a moratorium on using Oklahoma’s death penalty, particularly given the the recommendations from the 2017 Death Penalty Review Commission’s report.
“The death penalty is far too costly for taxpayers, does nothing to make us safer, and is error-prone,” Farley said. “Oklahoma can instead use those funds to solve cold cases and actually improve public safety.”
Oklahoma is part of a nationwide trend of conservatives rethinking capital punishment. An additional 13 state-based Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty groups have been previously launched.
“A growing number of conservatives in Oklahoma have concluded that the death penalty violates our core conservative principles of valuing life, fiscal responsibility, and limited government,” Farley said.
The news conference announcing Oklahoma Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty will take place in the press room of the state capitol on Thursday, August 25, at 2:00 p.m.
