| |
 |
| Death
Penalty: |
YES |
| Prohibit
Execution of the Mentally Retarded: |
NO. However, this state must draft legislation with clear and unambiguous language prohibiting executions of persons with an IQ of less than 70 in order to reflect the recent United States Supreme Court decision Atkins v. Virginia, which held that such executions are unconstitutional. |
| Life
Without Parole: |
YES |
| Minimum
Age to Eligible for the Death Penalty: |
18 |
| Number
on Death Row: |
202 |
| Executions
Since 1976: |
5 |
| Race
of Defendants: |
101 Black (50%), 95 White (47%), 2 Latino/a (1%), 2 Native American (1%), 2 Asian (1%) |
| 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 , (Republican),
|
| 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: |
City of Cincinnati
City of Dayton
Village of Yellow Springs
Akron Dominican Sisters, Leadership Council (Akron)
American Friends Service Committee, Ohio Criminal Justice Program Committee (Dayton)
Annunciation Parish Community (Cleveland)
Ascension of our Lord Catholic Church (Cleveland)
Byzantine Nuns (St. Clare)
Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE), Ohio (Columbus)
Cleveland Coalition Against the Death Penalty (Cleveland)
Community Council of Dayton (Dayton)
Conventional Franciscan Commission on Justice, Peace, and the Safeguarding of Creation: Province of Our Lady of Consolation (Carey)
Cuyahoga County Bar Association (Cleveland)
Dominican Sisters of Hope (Cincinnati)
Dominican Sisters, St. Mary of the Springs (Columbus)
Franciscan Friars, Province of St. John the Baptist, Provincial Council (Cincinnati)
Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) General Defense Committee (Cincinnati)
Missionaries of the Precious Blood, Dayton (Dayton)
National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation (Carey)
Northwest Ohio Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) (Bluffton)
Ohioans to Stop Executions
Pax Christi Cleveland, West (Cleveland)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Catholic Commission on Community Action (Cleveland)
Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, Social Concerns Committee (Richfield)
Sisters of Charity, Leadership Council (Cincinnati)
Sisters of Notre Dame of Toledo (Toledo)
Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania (Sylvania)
Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin (Tiffin)
Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Cincinnati Province, Leadership Team (Cincinnati)
Sisters of the Precious Blood, Community Council (Dayton)
Vandalia United Methodist Church, Administrative Board (Vandalia)
Women of Wonder (Cincinnati)
|
| 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)
[email protected]
www.otse.org
Victor Streib
Ohio Northern University
Pettit College of Law
Ada, OH 45810
419-772-2205--(day)
419-772-2318--(fax)
[email protected]
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 |
| Method
of Execution: |
Lethal injection |
