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Senator
Brown Calls for Immediate Moratorium on Capital Punishment
in Ohio
Will introduce legislation to abolish the death penalty
Special to The Truth
State Senator Edna Brown (D-Toledo) last week called on
Governor John Kasich to institute an immediate and
indefinite moratorium on capital punishment in Ohio. In
addition, Brown is calling on the governor to announce
publicly that the combination of drugs used for Thursday’s
execution of Dennis McGuire will never be used again.
“The circumstances surrounding the execution of Dennis
McGuire, where he reportedly made ‘loud snorting noises’ and
took nearly 25 minutes to die is appalling,” said Brown.
“This flawed execution reinforces my belief that the death
penalty is an outdated method of punishment that has no
place in civilized society.”
As a result, Brown will reintroduce legislation to abolish
the use of capital punishment in Ohio. She previously
introduced the legislation in 2011 during the 129th
General Assembly.
“I believe the evidence overwhelmingly shows that the death
penalty is not necessary or appropriate to carry out justice
in Ohio,” said Brown. “Our state must move towards life
without parole sentencing as the appropriate punishment for
the most heinous crimes.”
Many experts in the rehabilitation and corrections field,
including Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul E. Pfeifer and
Terry Collins, the retired former director of the Ohio
Department of Rehabilitation and Correction,
have
publicly opposed
the continued use of capital punishment in Ohio.
In an article published by the
Columbus
Dispatch
on January 25, 2011 Terry Collins stated, “the reasonable
course of action for state officials is to begin to have
serious and thoughtful conversations about whether Ohio's
death penalty remains necessary, fair and effective. My
experience tells me that our justice system can be even more
effective and fair without Death Rows and the death
penalty.”
According to reports released by the Death Penalty
Information Center, “race, geography, money and other
factors continue to make the implementation of the death
penalty arbitrary and unfair” while the use of capital
punishment remains an “enormously expensive and wasteful
program with no clear benefits.” Additionally, the potential
innocence of those sentenced to death by the state is an
ongoing concern. Since 1971, 143 persons condemned to die in
the United States have been exonerated of their crimes,
including four cases within the past three years. |
