OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – On Oct. 9, State Sen. Nikki Nice (S-48) and the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) gathered at the Oklahoma State Capitol to commemorate the World Day Against the Death Penalty.
According to OK-CADP, speakers included Sen. Nice, Randy Bauman, OK-CADP executive board member and ACLU Counsel Antionette Jones, co-founder Julius Jones, OK-CADP board member Sara Bana, and Bernard Allen-Bay.
As explained by OK-CADP, the World Day Against the Death Penalty is an annual day to mobilize civil society, political leaders, lawyers, and the public to advocate for the abolition of capital punishment and to shed light on the conditions faced by many people on death row. However, OK-CADP notes that the focus of this year’s global campaign is challenging the “security argument,” the misconception that maintaining the death penalty makes people and communities safer.
Sen. Nice said, “Affirming that every life deserves dignity, transparency, and fair justice is the purpose of World Day Against the Death Penalty. I look forward to joining the continued conversation in advancing thoughtful reform and strengthening Oklahoma’s commitment to human rights.”
OK-CADP said the “security argument” politicizes the justice system. The organization emphasizes that the death penalty only reinforces systemic inequalities and doesn’t make communities safer.
The coalition also highlighted the Death Penalty Moratorium Bill (Senate Bill 601), which is expected to be voted on during the 2026 legislative cycle. OK-CADP explained that the moratorium would allow time to conduct a full review and consider the 46 reform recommendations made by the 2017 Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission Report.
According to OK-CADP, the bipartisan commission was created following the “botched” executions of Clayton Lockett and Charles Warner, and the near execution of Richard Glossip. As of today, OK-CADP notes that none of the commission’s recommendations have been implemented.
OK-CADP Chair Dr. Elizabeth Overman said, “The bipartisan Oklahoma Death Penalty Review Commission was created in the wake of the ‘botched’ executions of Mr. Clayton Lockett and Mr. Charles Warner, and the near execution of Mr. Richard Glossip. To date, not one of the recommendations has been taken up.”
The coalition cited a February 2023 poll commissioned by Oklahoma Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty, which found that 78% of Oklahoma voters support a moratorium on executions. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, non-death penalty cases cost an average of $740,000, while cases involving the death penalty cost $1.26 million. In addition, each death row prisoner costs taxpayers $90,000 more annually than a person in the general prison population.
OK-CADP stresses that, beyond moral and economic arguments, the case against the death penalty is rooted in human dignity. The organization notes that 23 states and the District of Columbia have abolished capital punishment, while globally, 144 countries have ended it in law or practice. However, the United States, along with China, Iran, Japan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, continues to implement and maintain it.
According to OK-CADP, the continued use of the death penalty represents a profound failure of justice. Sen. Nice and other advocates argue that capital punishment does not eliminate crime or make communities safer, but instead perpetuates cycles of inequality and violence.
Follow the Vanguard on Social Media – X, Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe the Vanguard News letters. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit davisvanguard.org/donate or give directly through ActBlue. Your support will ensure that the vital work of the Vanguard continues.
