Kendrick Simpson was executed by lethal injection in Oklahoma on Thursday, prompting protests and renewed criticism of capital punishment from advocacy groups, despite his diagnosis of PTSD and apology to the victims’ families.
The ACLU of Oklahoma and other organizations have successfully advocated for the end of indefinite solitary confinement for most people sentenced to death at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, resulting in improved living conditions and increased access to programs and social interaction.
Despite widespread calls for mercy and evidence suggesting mental health diversion, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to deny clemency for death row prisoner Kendrick man , who is scheduled to be executed in 2026.
Oklahoma state legislators are urging mercy in the Kendrick Simpson case, as advocates argue that jurors never heard critical evidence about the trauma that shaped his actions, and that Simpson should be granted clemency due to his PTSD, which was caused by his experiences in Hurricane Katrina and a prior drive-by shooting.
Oklahoma Democratic Sen. Nikki Nice and the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty are pleading for mercy in the clemency case of Kendrick Simpson, a death row prisoner whose execution is scheduled for February, arguing that crucial evidence about his background and mental health was not fully presented during his 2007 trial.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt granted clemency to death-row prisoner Tremane Laitron Wood, commuting his sentence to life without parole, just hours before he was scheduled to be executed.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to recommend clemency for death row inmate Tremane Wood, who was sentenced to death in 2004 for his role in the 2002 murder of Ronnie Wipf, despite the State’s opposition and allegations of misconduct during Wood’s incarceration.
Oklahoma faces a test of fairness and justice as the Nov. 13 execution of Tremane Wood approaches, with concerns raised about the conduct of his defense attorney and the consistency of the state’s capital punishment system.
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 3-2 to grant clemency to death row prisoner Tremane Wood, delaying his scheduled execution and sending the decision to Gov. Kevin Stitt for review.
OK-CADP and State Sen. Nikki Nice gathered at the Oklahoma State Capitol to commemorate the World Day Against the Death Penalty, advocating for the abolition of capital punishment and highlighting the need for a moratorium on executions.
The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP) is hosting a discussion with State Sen. Nikki Nice and other leaders to challenge the misconception that the death penalty makes people and communities safer and to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
The ACLU is fighting against laws in Arkansas and Texas that require public schools to post the Ten Commandments in every classroom, as well as efforts to incorporate religion into other public school activities, in order to defend the separation of church and state and students’ rights.
The ACLU of Oklahoma, the ACLU, and Covington & Burling LLP have reached a settlement agreement with court leadership in Canadian County, Oklahoma, to end the practice of jailing people solely because they cannot afford bail, requiring judges to determine a person’s ability to pay before imposing cash bail and prohibiting conditioning release on bail unless a judge finds that nonfinancial conditions are inadequate.
A federal judge has found Channen Smith to be “actually innocent” in the 2010 killing of Dominique Jasper, but Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is pushing to keep Smith incarcerated despite the court’s ruling and new evidence suggesting he was wrongly convicted.
Several U.S. states are looking to European-style prisons, which prioritize rehabilitation over punishment, to improve prison conditions in America, despite facing political and financial barriers.
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond is seeking a first-degree murder charge against Richard Glossip despite previously agreeing to release him from prison after two decades on death row.
The Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals lifted a district court’s stay of execution for John Hanson, allowing his execution on June 12, despite unresolved allegations of bias and constitutional violations in his clemency hearing.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed Senate Bill 1027 into law, which restricts citizens’ ability to initiate ballot measures and imposes a county-based vote weighting system that dilutes the influence of urban voters, while critics say it is an attack on direct democracy and the principle of “one person, one vote”.
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