The Pardon and Parole Board voted Wednesday to recommend commutation for another 149 nonviolent drug offenders who were eligible for a single-stage docket made possible by a recent law change, board Executive Director Steven Bickley said. The cases now go to Gov. Kevin Stitt for consideration. House Bill 1269, which took effect Nov. 1, directed…Read More
State Rep. Jason Dunnington (D-Oklahoma City) on Tuesday filed House Bill 2876 for consideration during the 2020 legislative session. If passed and signed into law, the measure will remove the death penalty from among the options in Oklahoma for sentencing in capital cases. “I’m proud to be a part of the important progress we’ve made…Read More
As a kid, I was surrounded by people who were making awful choices—choices that led to many of my friends and family members being in prison or six feet under before I reached adulthood. And I was well on my way to following in their footsteps. Our environment, including the zoned public schools we were…Read More
The Catholic Church’s opposition to the death penalty stems from its view on the sacredness of human life and the value of mercy, said U.S. bishops in a roundtable discussion about capital punishment Oct. 10. The discussion, which was livestreamed by Catholic News Service, took place on the World Day Against the Death Penalty and…Read More
What happens before a murder? In looking for ways to reduce death penalty cases, David R. Dow realized that a surprising number of death row inmates had similar biographies. In this talk he proposes a bold plan, one that prevents murders in the first place.
Depending on whom you talk to, you’ll get a different opinion on Oklahoma’s controversial adoption law that’s about to go into effect. “What the Legislature and the government have done is endorsed discrimination,” said Allie Shin, with the Oklahoma American Civil Liberties Union. “What we’re really asking here is if churches should check their faith…Read More
A coalition of medical professionals, law enforcement officials, business leaders and members of the faith community filed papers Tuesday with Oklahoma’s Ethics Commission to formally oppose State Question 788 in hopes of defeating it. The name of this new coalition is ‘SQ 788 is Not Medical.’ Organizations signing on include the Oklahoma Medical Association, Catholic…Read More
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s deeply controversial encyclical letter “Humanae vitae.” But I would like to draw particular attention to a remarkable passage in this encyclical, namely section 17, in which Paul VI plays the prophet and lays out, clearly and succinctly, what he foresees as consequences of turning away…Read More