![]() ![]() This is why we’re teaming up to implore Governor Stitt to issue a moratorium on the Oklahoma death penalty TODAY. We, along with the death row exonerees of Witness to Innocence, know –first-hand– the deep flaws of Oklahoma’s death penalty system. The Julius Jones Coalition worked tirelessly to stop the execution of Julius Jones, an innocent Black man in Oklahoma last year. It is racist, immoral, inhumane and cruel to treat people this way. And these are just some of their stories. Kendrick Simpson survived hurricane Katrina and spent years on the streets of New Orleans riddled with trauma, but was sentenced to die without the jury ever even hearing his story. James Pavatt is a veteran who had no prior criminal history. Kevin Stitt to commute the death penalty sentence of Julius Jones, who was convicted of murder in 2002. Five of these men have severe brain damage, two have histories of schizophrenia. A Justice for Julius petition on alleging that Jones’s trial attorney did not adequately defend him, and that explicit racial bias played a significant role in the process. A coalition of celebrities, conservatives and Christian leaders had urged Gov. In addition to facing blatant racism, the 25 individuals on Oklahoma’s death row also include vulnerable people who suffer from severe mental illness and have experienced horrific trauma and deprivation throughout their childhoods. Simply stated– young Black men in Oklahoma are being sentenced to death at wildly disparate rates than white men. In striking contrast, only one of the white men with an execution date was 25 years old or younger at the time of the crime. Alfred Mitchell was just two weeks past his eighteenth birthday, barely old enough to receive a death sentence. The majority of the Black men scheduled for execution were 25 years old or younger at the time of the crime that put them on death row. Belly Mujinga Email Template and BTP Complaint. Justice For Breonna Taylor - Birthday for Breonna. In fact, 40% of the men set to be executed are Black, despite the state only having a Black population of 7.8%. Petition: Medical schools must include BAME representation in clinical teaching. None of those recommendations have been put into effect, including the need to address racial bias. ![]() 2 How many innocent people may die before Oklahoma stops executions?Ī 2017 review of the state’s death penalty policy conducted by a independent and bipartisan commission recommended that Oklahoma issue a moratorium on executions until 40 significant reforms are implemented. 1 But half of the death sentences have been overturned due to mistakes and legal errors. ![]() Oklahoma has the highest execution rate per capita of any state. These cases reveal deep systemic flaws in Oklahoma’s capital punishment system and illustrate the egregious unfairness and cruelty of the death penalty in general. Twenty-five men, whose cases include serious claims of innocence, racial bias, severe mental illness, intellectual disability, and severe childhood trauma and abuse, are all scheduled for execution. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage.Oklahoma will execute 25 people unless we convince Governor Stitt to issue a moratorium on the death penalty now. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to death penalty in the US. If the clemency process isn’t successful, Jones will be among the first men executed by the state of Oklahoma, after a six-year pause following a series of botched executions.
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