My first execution – and why I have the best job in the world

I have now been with Reprieve for well over a year. In that time, the death penalty team, which I have the privilege to work with, has assisted nearly 100 prisoners facing execution around the world – our current caseload is nearly 80.

It may therefore come as a surprise to you that, until last night, when Mark Ströman was executed in Texas at around 3am UK time, I managed to avoid ever having to deal with one of the prisoners we assist actually being executed. (Our last execution before last night’s was that of Akmal Shaikh in China, in December 2009.)

I suppose this is a testament to Reprieve’s extraordinary effectiveness in helping to “deliver justice and save lives”. In fact, our total success rate in helping to prevent the execution of the prisoners we assist is over 95%. Since I joined Reprieve, I have had the privilege of seeing 7 prisoners facing capital charges sentenced to a lesser penalty than death, 1 prisoner whose death sentence was overturned on appeal, and 2 prisoners who were acquitted and released: that’s 10 lives saved.

It is a great joy to watch my colleagues do what they do best every day: finding evidence, providing legal support, securing diplomatic interventions, building crucial relationships with the prisoners, their families, and key witnesses in the case, and just their sheer hard work and perseverance. Very often, this is what saves lives – and I have often thought of how lucky I am to work with such extraordinary individuals. But nothing prepared me for the greatness that came out in our team when all our hard work, for once, did not lead to a successful outcome.

It is our experience at Reprieve that the earlier we get involved in a person’s case, the greater our chances of saving his or her life. In Mark Ströman’s case, we only became involved less than two months before his scheduled execution. Therefore, we knew the odds were stacked against us. But that did not stop the team from working day and night to try.

The results were incredible: the team built a strong relationship with Mark very quickly, found crucial new evidence, garnered support from European governments, helped the US lawyers draft reams and reams of legal pleadings, and helped bring the story of Mark’s remarkable surviving victim, Rais Bhuiyan, to the world, igniting a crucial debate about victims’ rights. As our inimitable investigator Chris puts it, the Reprieve team went “all out”, literally standing by Mark and fighting to save his life until the very last minute.

I am humbled and honoured to have witnessed this great team in what has probably been their finest hour during my time at Reprieve so far. Not many people get the chance to work with such amazing colleagues, or to try and help save lives full-time. And that is why, despite last night’s sad outcome, I still think I have the best job in the world.