This summer, I will be running 712km over 12 weeks to raise funds for research into the case of Orien Joiner, executed by the State of Texas in 2000. The challenge represents the 712km distance from Orien's home in Lubbock to the Huntsville Unit where he was executed, and the 12 years he spent on death row.
In 1986, Orien Cecil Joiner was sentenced to death for a double murder in Lubbock, Texas. The evidence presented at trial was circumstantial, never truly establishing Orien's guilt with certainty. In July 2000, he was executed by lethal injection having spent around 12 years on death row. In his final statement, Orien maintained that he was not guilty of the crime - "I am innocent of this crime and God knows I am innocent and the poor people that were murdered know I am innocent. And when I get to Heaven we'll all talk"
As of May 2025, 1622 people have been executed in the United States since the reintroduction of the Death Penalty in 1976 - 594 of these (over a third) have been carried out by Texas. Of those 594, Orien was the 224th.
Former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia proclaimed that there is not "a single case - not one - in which it is clear that a person was executed for a crime he did not commit." Almost 200 people on death row have been exonerated since 1976, and that none of the 1622 people executed over the last five decades were actually innocent is highly improbable to say the least. Regardless of your views on the death penalty generally, this is a concerning thought.
THE PROJECT:
My name is Harry, and as I head into my final year as a law student at Bristol University, I have been presented with an incredible opportunity to pursue my passion for human rights advocacy and research the death penalty in the United States.
Following a successful internship last year, I have been awarded a fellowship with The Justice League, a non-profit organisation headed by legendary human rights attorney Clive Stafford Smith OBE.
Over the last 40 years, Clive has represented over 300 prisoners on death row in the USA who could not afford quality legal representation, proving successful in all but a handful of cases. He is the co-founder of Reprieve, and has proved instrumental in securing the release of several individuals from Guantánamo Bay. The Justice League is his latest endeavour, aimed at developing the next generation of human rights advocates.
Over the summer, myself and two other aspiring advocates will be located in Texas, researching Orien Joiner's case as part of the 'Post Mortem Project', a Justice League initiative exploring the potential innocence of people executed in the US since 1976. We will be spending an extended period of time trying to better investigate the circumstances around Orien's conviction, reaching out to those relevant to the original investigation and court process so that we can paint a better picture of what happened, one that the circumstantial evidence presented at trial does not complete. The original investigation has left Orien's innocence entirely possible. While this remains so, an innocent man may have been killed.
FUNDING THE PROJECT:
As part of my fellowship with The Justice League, I have been awarded a scholarship for conducting my research in Texas. While this and some funds of my own should go a long way, I am asking for your help to make this research possible.
I am aiming to raise £1,000, a substantial but, I hope, manageable sum which will go directly towards our research on this project, covering essential costs from travel around Texas conducting our research to everyday expenses.
Projects like this are crucial for scrutinising the criminal justice system, particularly necessary when it deals with capital punishment. Crowdfunding is a necessary part of what we do, but it is also a great opportunity for everyone to contribute to research which not only deals with real people and real stories, but can prove truly impactful and play a real part in ensuring the fitness and fairness of American justice.
MY SIDE:
In tribute to Orien's case, I will be running 712km over 12 weeks. 712km is the distance from Orien's home in Lubbock, to the Huntsville Unit where he was executed, having spent 12 years on death row.
As an occasional runner at best, this a daunting prospect. I cannot promise that it will be fast or glamorous, but every donation will have a big impact on our research and improve our chances of doing something meaningful. I might not be able to walk by the end of it, but if it helps in any way to enable a more thorough investigation then it will be more than worthwhile. I will be aiming to start running by the start of June, so that the bulk it will be completed in Texas, keeping the challenge close to the case it represents (even if it means battling the Texan summer heat).
Thank you very much for your time, and for any donations you are able to make. I promise to put them all to the best possible use, and to update you on my progress where possible, both with the case and the running!