Ohio — aka the northern Texas — executes again

As detailed in this AP article, Ohio executed another multiple murderer this morning.  This was Ohio's third execution in 2009 and its twenty-third execution since 2004.  With respect to the death penalty, I think it is fair and appropriate to now call Ohio the Texas of the north: except for a few states in the south, Ohio has had executed many, many more killers than any other state in recent years.

To date, I have seen relatively few academics or leading public policy groups or even hard-core abolitionists making a big deal about the fact that Ohio has become of leading modern death penalty state.  My cynical explanation would be that Ohio's experience with the death penalty does not easily or effectively fit into certain anti-death-penalty narratives often stressed by academics and public policy groups and abolitionists, Ohio's recent experiences with capital punishment is often ignored rather than engaged.

Relatedly, though the economic costs of the death penalty were getting a lo of attention earlier this year, I am not aware of any discussion within Ohio to lay off the death penalty during the state's recent pitched battle over a huge budget deficit.  Though states still seem to be tightening their belts, this summer I am noticing less and less serious talk lately about the economics of capital punishment.

Some recent related posts:

• "A new Texas? Ohio's death penalty examined"
• Ohio — aka the Texas of the north — setting busy execution schedule
• Great new (though still dated) examination of the death penalty and plea bargaining
• CNN now talking about the costs of the death penalty and state reforms 
• States considering laying off the death penalty during tough economic times
• The economic case against the death penalty getting more and more attention
• More discussion of cost concerns in debates over the death penalty
• Capital case cost concerns continue to inform reform debate
• Still more discussion of the costs of the death penalty
• "Opponents Focus On Cost In Death Penalty Debate"
• What might 2009 have in store for . . . the death penalty in the US?   

UPDATE:  This AP story on this execution notes it has the honor of being "the 1,000th lethal injection in the U.S. since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976."  This round number, in turn, has apparently prompted an internation response:

According to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., Keene's was the 1,171st execution — and the 1,000th by lethal injection — since the U.S. reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

The European Union presidency, currently held by Sweden, released a statement noting the number and calling on the U.S. to halt executions, pending the abolition of the death penalty. "The European Union is opposed to the use of capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances," the statement said. "We believe that the abolition of the death penalty is essential to protect human dignity, and to the progressive development of human rights."