Do not execute Clarence Ray Allen

Published January 5, 2006

At 75, Clarence Ray Allen is the oldest inmate on California's death row, where he has been incarcerated for the past 22 years. His
execution date has been set for January 17th, 2006, one day after his birthday. Clarence Ray Allen would be the thirteenth inmate to be
executed since California restored the death penalty in 1978.
Background
Clarence Ray Allen, a Choctaw American Indian, was convicted in 1982 for ordering the murders of three individuals while serving a
life sentence at Folsom State Prison for the murder of a young woman in 1974. If this execution is carried out, Allen will be the
second oldest man put to death in the U.S. in over 60 years and the oldest in California since the death penalty was reinstated. Allen is
in very poor health, suffering from advanced heart disease and diabetes. He is confined to a wheelchair and nearly blind. He suffered a
major heart attack on Sept. 2, 2005, and has a long history of delayed and substandard medical treatment.
He has been nearly discipline-free for the past 23 years. Executing him now will be gratuitous and extremely unusual. What is to be
gained from executing this man? He is no threat to public safety, his execution will not make our society safer, or serve any real
purpose.

Race is a factor in this case. Allen is Native American and all of the victims are white. This case was tried in a rural, predominantly
white county. According to a recent study published in the Santa Clara Law Review concluded that murderers of Caucasians in
California during the 1990s were far more likely to be sentenced to death than those who killed blacks or Latinos. California has a
higher proportion of Native Americans on death row than any other state, and Native Americans nationwide are more likely to receive
a death sentence than any other group.

Reviews in both state court and federal court of Ray Allen’s death judgment revealed that numerous errors occurred at his
trial. The serious nature of those errors and cause doubt on the reliability of the death judgment and should be commuted.

By Lucas Nevarez

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