| Death
Penalty: |
YES |
| Prohibit
Execution of the Mentally Retarded: |
NO |
| Life
Without Parole: |
YES |
| Minimum
Age to Eligible for the Death Penalty: |
18 |
| Number
on Death Row: |
204 |
| Executions
Since 1976: |
2 |
| Race
of Defendants: |
100 Black (50%), 99 White (49%), 2 Latino/a (1%), 2 Native American (1%), 1 Asian (.5%) |
| Racial
Make-up of State Population: |
84% White, 12% Black, 2% Hispanic, 1% Asian |
| Innocents
Exonerated: |
YES (2)—Gary Beeman was released in 1979 after serving 3 years on death row. In 1990 Dale Johnson was released after serving 6 years on death row. |
| Columbia
University Study Rate of Error in Capital Cases: |
Not Included in Study |
| Murder
Rate: |
4.0 per 100,000 (ranked 34th out of 51) |
| Governor: |
Bob Taft (R), elected November 1998, expires January 2003, (R),
|
| |
 |
| Presidential
Vote: |
50% Bush, 47% Gore, 3% Nader |
| Public
Opinion on the Death Penalty: |
Two recent polls, both by Ohio State University:
The first was conducted in October 1999. Findings include:
- 74%-23% Favor death penalty
- 68-32 Feel it is likely an innocent person can be wrongly executed
- 57-39 Support 25-year minimum sentence plus restitution to families over death penalty
Second poll was released in August 2000. Findings include:
- 46% would prefer life in prison without the possibility of parole as an alternative to the
death penalty for first degree murderers.
- 95% think that states should permit DNA testing in all cases.
- 51% think it is likely or very likely that an innocent person can be wrongly convicted and executed.
See attached page for further numbers from these polls
|
| Organizations
Endorsing a Moratorium: |
Village of Yellow Springs
Akron Dominican Sisters, Leadership Council
Annunciation Parish Community
Ascension of our Lord Catholic Church
Byzantine Nuns
Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE), Ohio
Cleveland Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Community Council of Dayton
Conventional Franciscan Commission on Justice, Peace, and the Safeguarding of Creation: Province of Our Lady of Consolation
Cuyahoga County Bar Association
Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the Springs
Dominican Sisters of Hope
Franciscan Friars, Province of St. John the Baptist, Provincial Council
Missionaries of the Precious Blood, Dayton
National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation
Northwest Ohio Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR)
Pax Christi Cleveland, West
Red Dawn Press
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Catholic Commission on Community Action
Sisters of Charity, Leadership Council
Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, Social Concerns Committee
Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania
Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin
Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Cincinnati Province, Leadership Team
Sisters of Notre Dame of Toledo
Sisters of the Precious Blood, Community Council
Women of Wonder
|
| Organizations
Working FOR a Moratorium: |
ACLU of Ohio
1266 West 6th Street
Suite 200
Cleveland, OH 44113
Christine Link-contact
216-781-6276-(day)
www.acluohio.org
American Friends Service Committee
915 Salem Avenue
Dayton, OH 45406
Jana Schroader-contact
937-278-4225-(day)
937-278-2778-(fax)
Amnesty International State Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator
Michael Manley-contact
614-263-5914-(phone)
Marge Koosed
1203 Berwick Lane
South Euclid, OH 44121
330-972-6793-(day)
216-291-2774-(eve)
Ohio Coalition to Abolish the
Death Penalty
Cincinnati Chapter
3921 Davis Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45211
Sue Prieshoff-contact
513-662-9376-(day)
Ohioans to STOP Executions
9 East Long St., Suite 201
Columbus, OH 43215-2901
Adele Shank-contact
614-326-1217--(day)
Jim Tobin-contact
614-224-7147--(day)
614-224-7150--(fax)
otse_webmaster@yahoo.com
www.otse.org
Victor Streib
Ohio Northern University
Pettit College of Law
Ada, OH 45810
419-772-2205--(day)
419-772-2318--(fax)
v-streib@onu.edu
www.law.onu.edu/faculty/streib/streib.html
|
| Clemency: |
The Governor has the authority to grant clemency. All recommendations must be referred to the Adult Parole Authority for investigation and non-binding recommendation. The Governor cannot pardon those convicted of first degree murder unless innocence is established beyond a reasonable doubt |
| Who
Decides Sentence: |
Jury |
| Geographic
Disparities: |
Ohio authorizes both lethal injection and electrocution. Electrocution will be used if the inmate fails to choose a method. (Deno, Deborah W. "Getting to Death: Are Executions Constitutional." Iowa Law Review. 1997.) |
