Entries tagged with “Justin Humphrey”
Mar 05, 2025
Public Officials and Advocates Respond to SCOTUS’ Decision to Overturn Richard Glossip’s Conviction
In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to vacate Richard Glossip’s 2004 death sentence, public officials and advocates have expressed strong reactions. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond acknowledged the significance of the ruling, stating, “Our justice system is greatly diminished when an individual is convicted without a fair trial, but today we can celebrate that a great injustice has been swept away.” While maintaining his belief that Mr. Glossip is not innocent, AG…
Conditions on Death Row
,Dec 05, 2024
Hidden Casualties: Executions Harm Mental Health of Prison Staff
In March, Oklahoma officials asked the state’s high court to increase the time between executions from 60 to 90 days, citing the “lasting trauma” and “psychological toll” of executions on corrections officers. But Judge Gary Lumpkin dismissed these concerns, telling officials that prison staff needed to “suck it up” and “man up.” A few weeks later, Brian Dorsey was executed in Missouri after the governor ignored the pleas of an unprecedented 72 corrections officers to grant him clemency. “We…
Issues
May 07, 2024
In Amicus Briefs, Conservative Officials, Oklahoma Lawmakers, and Civil Rights Groups are United in Urging the U.S. Supreme Court to Vacate Richard Glossip’s Conviction
On April 30, 2024, a week after the parties in Glossip v. Oklahoma filed merits briefs at the United States Supreme Court, several amici filed briefs in support of the parties’ joint position, asking the Court to grant Richard Glossip (pictured) a new trial. Ken Cuccinelli, the former Virginia Attorney General and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump, said in his brief that the consequences of failing to overturn Mr. Glossip’s conviction are “most dire.” During his…
Research
New Voices
,May 02, 2024
Articles of Interest: Missouri and Oklahoma Corrections Officials Describe Psychological Toll of Performing Executions
An April 28, 2024 report by Ed Pilkington in The Guardian chronicles the trauma experiences by prison officials assigned to carry out executions. Oklahoma correctional officers asked Attorney General Gentner Drummond to slow the pace of executions, citing “lasting trauma,” Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and alcohol abuse among staff due to frequent executions in the state. Former corrections director Justin Jones told Mr. Pilkington, “It affects your mental state when it becomes so routine,”…
Research
Dec 04, 2023
Oklahoma Executes Phillip Hancock After Governor Rejects Clemency Recommendation: “Phil’s Execution Is Simply Not Justice,” says Oklahoma Legislator
Oklahoma executed Phillip Hancock (pictured) on November 30, 2023, following Governor Kevin Stitt’s rejection of the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board’s recommendation that his sentence be f commuted to life without parole. The governor’s indecision left Mr. Hancock waiting anxiously right up to the time of his scheduled execution when the governor’s office told the prison warden to proceed. Mr. Hancock is the 123rd person executed in Oklahoma since the reinstatement of the death penalty in…
Issues
Upcoming Executions
,Aug 08, 2023
Pro-Death Penalty Oklahoma Lawmaker Calls on Attorney General to Retest DNA Evidence for Prisoners on Death Row Where Accuracy is a Concern
UPDATE: On August 8, 2023, the Oklahoman reported that AG Drummond has declined Representative Humphrey’s request to retest DNA evidence in Anthony Sanchez’s case. Oklahoma State Representative Justin Humphrey (pictured) has called on Attorney General Gentner Drummond to reexamine DNA evidence in death-row prisoner Anthony Sanchez’s case and other Oklahoma death row prisoners. Citing Mr. Sanchez’s upcoming September execution date, Rep. Humphrey wrote in a letter to AG Drummond that he…
Issues
Sep 28, 2022
Oklahoma Lawmaker Calls for Investigation of Prosecutor for Deliberately Withholding Evidence of Innocence in Richard Glossip Retrial
An Oklahoma state representative has called for an investigation into the practices of the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office following additional revelations that county prosecutors deliberately withheld exculpatory evidence and manufactured false testimony to secure a conviction and death sentence against Richard Glossip in his 2004 retrial. At a news conference on September 22, 2022, the fourth date Oklahoma had set to execute Glossip, State Representative Justin Humphrey (R – Lane…