Death penalty in Oklahoma: What to know about state's history of executions, future plans

At more than 1,570 executions in the past five decades, the United States is an outlier among developed nations when it comes to the ultimate punishment, with more than 70% of nations globally having banned the practice, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Oklahoma has the second-most executions since the early 1980s, the center reports, with 125. Texas leads the nation after putting 588 inmates to death since 1982.

With Oklahoma on pace to schedule and execute more prisoners this year, here's a look at the practice and its history in the state.

Does Oklahoma have the death penalty?

The death penalty has been part of Oklahoma since before statehood. In 1804, Congress made the criminal laws of the United States, including capital punishment, applicable in the Louisiana Purchase, which included what is now Oklahoma, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society.

The first executions for crimes committed in the Oklahoma Territory and into early statehood were all hangings. The first electrocution was in 1915.

In 2016, State Question 776 was passed to officially guarantee the state's right to capital punishment by amending the state constitution. This also guaranteed the state's power to decide methods of execution.

Since 1976, Oklahoma has the highest number of executions by population.

What execution methods does Oklahoma use? Firing squad?

The state of Oklahoma has used lethal injection for all 13 executions since the rule change in February 2020. The three-drug cocktail is made up of midazolam, vecuronium bromide, and potassium chloride. This is supposed to first sedate the person, then stop breathing, then stop the heart.

Lethal injection is always the primary method in Oklahoma, but firing squad, lethal gas, electrocution, and hanging are all legal alternatives if injection is declared unconstitutional.

Currently, execution via firing squad is legal in Oklahoma. In 2022, two men specifically requested it after some prodding by a judge, but both were put to death via injection.

At a national level, the Supreme Court has never declared a method of execution unconstitutional, but some state courts have.

Oklahoma's history with botched executions

In 2014, Clayton Lockett was the victim of a botched execution that took 51 minutes to incorrectly place an IV and 43 minutes until it resulted in death from a heart attack.

The state paused killings in 2015 when one inmate was executed with the wrong drug and another inmate almost was. That same year, Gov. Mary Fallin approved a bill to allow the use of nitrogen gas.

The state of Oklahoma has executed 13 men since the pause was lifted, with the most recent being Richard Rojem on June 27, 2024.

In 2021, John Marion Grant was the first execution in more than six years after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted stays on executions that the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals placed the day before. Grant had inhaled his own vomit. One month prior, NPR found fluid-filled lungs in 84% of autopsy reports across four types of execution drugs. Called pulmonary edema in medical terms, this was present in Grant as well and has been compared to the feeling of drowning or being waterboarded.

In early May 2024, the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that executions would now be 90 days apart.

Are there any women on death row in Oklahoma?

In Oklahoma, there is one woman on death row, Brenda Andrew.

As of Jan. 1, 2024, there were more than 40 women and 2,100 men on death row across the nation.

When are the next executions scheduled for in Oklahoma?

There are currently no more executions scheduled in the state of Oklahoma, but there are several inmates eligible for execution because they have exhausted their appeals.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma executions: What to know about the death penalty in Oklahoma