Deeply Rooted: How Racial History Informs Oklahoma’s Death Penalty

ByTiana Herring

Oklahoma’s death penalty is at a crossroads. On August 25, 2022, Oklahoma executed the first person in a series of 25 executions set to occur nearly every month through 2024. The projected increase in executions in Oklahoma comes while the death penalty is in decline nationwide; 2021 had the fewest executions since 1988. Furthermore, Oklahoma’s planned executions are scheduled to move forward despite evidence that there are serious problems with Oklahoma’s death penalty that the state has done little to address. Death penalty cases in Oklahoma have garnered significant media attention in recent years, providing the public with tangible examples of systemic issues with the state’s capital punishment system.

Washington DC: Death Penalty Information Center, 2022. 72p.