The Death Penalty in Oklahoma

The Tulsa World reports, "Study: Death sentences reach record low."  It's written by Michael Overall and appeared in the paper's Saturday edition.

Continuing a long and precipitous decline in the number of death sentences, the trend has sparked hope among some death-penalty opponents that the practice might not have to be abolished formally.

Might it eventually fall into disuse, even if it remains officially on the books?

"Personally, I would say no," answered Jim Rowan, an Oklahoma City attorney and chairman of the Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. "There will have to be some legislative action."

The number of death sentences nationwide peaked at 328 in 1994. Since then, the number has plummeted more than 66 percent, with 106 death sentences handed down in 2009, according to the survey.

Oklahoma averaged nearly 11 death sentences a year during the 1990s but has averaged fewer than six a year since 2000.

Why the decline?

The laws of economics, Rowan explained. As costs go up, demand falls. He estimates that in prosecuting a homicide, the state of Oklahoma will spend three times more money seeking the death penalty than if it were asking for life in prison.

And:

"In Oklahoma, we have 10 people walking around who were sentenced to death and later exonerated," he said. "I don't think we want to trade an innocent life for efficiency."

With fewer people sentenced to death, executions have generally declined, as well. Nationwide, 52 people were put to death last year — roughly half the number seen a decade ago.

Oklahoma carried out three executions in 2009, the fourth-highest number for any state, behind Texas, Alabama and Ohio.

This year, the state has put to death one person.

Tulsa killer Julius Ricardo Young was executed Thursday in connection with the 1993 slayings of his ex-girlfriend's 20-year-old daughter and the daughter's 6-year-old son.

Meanwhile, 2009 saw nine death-row inmates — including two in Oklahoma — set free after courts overturned their convictions.

Sunday's Oklahoman reported, "Oklahoma legislators ready to debate newly filed state measures," by Michael McNutt and Julie Bisbee.

The state’s worst budget crisis in modern history is not getting in the way of legislators filing more than 2,200 bills for the session that begins next month.

In addition to struggling with revenue shortfalls, main issues this session will be efforts to change the state workers’ compensation system and the state’s public schools.

In addition to having about $1.3 billion less compared with last year, lawmakers first will have to deal with patching the current fiscal year budget. Revenues have come in about 25.6 percent below estimates since the fiscal year began July 1.

Lawmakers filed 2,235 bills by Thursday night’s deadline. They also have 1,051 bills carried over from last year that still may be considered. On top of those 3,286 bills, legislators this year filed 59 resolutions; 86 resolutions are still left over from last year.

Nearly 400 bills are set aside for appropriation measures to fund agencies and departments. Many other bills are so-called shell bills — they have a subject matter but no text. Those bills can be filled in with details later.

And:

Bills also seek to crack down on party bus companies by making it illegal for them to haul minors who were drinking or possessed alcohol, and to implement the first step of a four-year plan to repeal Oklahoma’s death penalty by forming a commission to review wrongful convictions.

Earlier coverage from Oklahoma begins with this post.