By Ashley Crites, Guest Columnist
On Nov. 13, Gov. Kevin Stitt granted clemency to Tremane Wood, a now former Oklahoman death row inmate. Stitt sided with the Pardon and Parole Board’s decision to alter Wood’s sentence to a life sentence without parole.
This decision came after heavy consideration, protest and debate amongst Stitt’s cabinet and Oklahoma’s citizens. This case has been met with so much contention that several citizens are reconsidering capital punishment as a moral standing, most notably considering that it arguably violates the eighth U.S. constitutional amendment.
This amendment states that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted,” with capital punishment falling under the last criteria. Stitt’s decision arrived in a testy political climate, and Oklahoma’s reaction will prove to shape our state’s future.
Moving forward, Oklahomans should consider empathy and political action’s power in a democracy.
Saving someone’s life should not be a political stunt. Stitt’s administration has granted clemency before; he did it in 2021 before Julius Jones could be executed.
Wood and Jones were both given an unjust trial, and were spared death by a last-minute decision from Stitt.
Relatively soon after Jones was scheduled to be executed, new evidence was released that suggested his innocence. These last-minute decisions lead me to believe that capital punishment is a political weapon.
The death penalty is the reason Wood and Jones would never have been able to see their families again, and it left the final decision to one elected official. Stitt is not opposed to capital punishment. In fact, his administration has led 16 death row inmates to their executions.
His decisions to grant clemency come after heavy protest and political action from Oklahoma citizens and political organization groups.
Nicole Maldonado, the organizing manager at ACLU Oklahoma, participated in a rally to urge Stitt to grant Wood clemency during the week of his scheduled execution. Religious leaders from Oklahoma rallied in favor of clemency for Wood two days before his would-be state-sanctioned death. They cited a petition, which 300 religious leaders across the country signed, that urged Stitt to “make the right decision” to support their case.
Without these people’s work to inspire others to contact Stitt, Wood may be dead today. Stitt’s decision to spare Wood and Jones did not solely come from his heart or mind; it came because the people were paying attention.
Anytime an elected official has the final say, they should speak with the people’s voice. Capital punishment is an angry shout, straining our worst parts. Oklahoma deserves an empathetic voice.
Oklahoma deserves politicians to speak our name without hidden motives.
Consider this as you make your decision: if the person we elected to lead us can pour and wash the blood off of their hands at the finish line, then they can do anything. Remember Julius Jones. Remember Tremane Wood. Remember the 16 dead inmates.