Journalist: John Manigah (ORU)
Caden Hayes, a former Chief Justice and now Senator from Oklahoma State University, introduced on the senate floor, OSU-005 the Death Penalty Reform Act of 2025. With a dicey topic such as the death penalty, this piece of legislation passed the Senate 13 to 9 in a narrow vote.
What does it do?
The Death Penalty Reform Act aims to reduce the use of the death penalty by increasing its severity and discouraging its use from judges and the public. This approach is taken in many Asians countries and according to Senator Hayes was inspired mainly by Japan. “It definitely is kind of inspired by East Asian Law, specifically Japan; I didn’t look at the Japanese law and take that and translate it, in American law, I wrote it from scratch myself,” said Hayes.
Key provisions?
- Unknown Execution Date
The date of execution will no longer be known to the inmate. This will increase the severity and psychological effect of the punishment.
- Option on method of Execution
Allows the individual to choose their method of execution and bans nitrogen hypoxia as a method used for the death penalty. By giving individuals a choice it provides a more human approach to an execution.
- Reduces use of the Death Penalty
The idea is that by making the death penalty more severe, judges and the public will be less inclined to use it or commit crimes that could result in an execution.
Senator Hayes opinion
Senator Hayes’s act passed with a close vote of 13 to 9 showing that the death penalty can be a controversial topic. “I’m not a massive proponent of the death penalty. I would argue that if we could completely get rid of it, I would. But I also think that it’s unrealistic for bipartisan politics to present something so aggressive. Instead, what I want to do is reduce its utilization,” said Hayes. He remains determined in trying to find the best solution to an imperfect problem, even if it helps just one person.