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November 19, 2006

A new look at the death penalty in Ohio

In this post after last week's elections, I speculated about whether Ohio's new governor and attorney general might prompt some new thinking about the death penalty.  This article in the Columbus Dispatch indicates that I am not the only one with such thoughts.  Here are some snippets:

After eight years and 24 executions, Ohio's death penalty is about to come under closer scrutiny. The challenge usually comes from death-penalty opponents. But this time, it’s likely to come from the newly elected Democratic governor and attorney general.

Both Ted Strickland and Marc Dann question the fairness of not the law but how it's been applied. During the campaign, Strickland, a former prison psychologist, said he supports capital punishment but is "troubled" by numerous cases in which inmates were exonerated after long stays on Death Row. He told The Dispatch several weeks ago that innocent men could be awaiting capital punishment in Ohio, which is why each case deserves a rigid examination before an execution.

Similarly, Dann said during his primary campaign that he spent a few sleepless nights contemplating his commitment as attorney general to upholding the capital-punishment law.  He advocates a full-blown death penalty study.

November 19, 2006 at 10:27 AM | Permalink

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» A Shift in Ohio? from StandDown Texas Project
Karl Keys has an excellent weekend roundup today, here. Let's spotlight one of those items from Ohio.Under the elections matter banner, changes to Ohio's death penalty scheme seem likely. The new Governor before entering politics was a prison psycholog... [Read More]

Tracked on Nov 19, 2006 9:45:48 PM

Comments

Close examination by the clemency authority before an execution for any credible claim of actual innocence is exactly the right thing to do. No problem there.

Would a "full-blown" study be a balanced study, with an non-stacked panel, rather than the standard circus rubber-stamping the usual litany of defense-side complaints? Now that would be a national first.

Posted by: Kent Scheidegger | Nov 19, 2006 2:23:26 PM

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