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  • About Us
    • Mission & History
    • Board & Staff
    • Contact OTSE
  • Take Action
    • Join OTSE
    • Volunteer with OTSE!
    • OHIOANS TO STOP EXECUTIONS: THE PUSH FOR ABOLISHING THE DEATH PENALTY
    • Donate
    • Upcoming Events
    • Open Letter from Ohio’s Faith Leaders
    • Host an Event
    • Mental Illness Reforms
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Rabbinic Initiative to Repeal the Death Penalty

Rabbis and Cantors active with Ohioans to Stop Executions encourage all Jewish communities in Ohio to take as many of the steps below as possible to ensure success of campaign to reduce and repeal executions in the
State of Ohio.

  1. As individuals and/or on behalf of congregations, please add your name to the Ohio Jewish Clergy Open
    Letter to Reduce and End Executions, which is to be found here. Further, please urge any other
    ordained clergy who live or work in Ohio to also add their names as soon as possible, and, if possible, the
    names of their congregations or organizations. This letter will be presented to the Governor and Ohio
    Legislature in support of pending legislation.
  2. As individuals and/or on behalf of congregations, please add your name to the Religious Sign-on Letter in
    Support of Repealing the Death Penalty, which is to be found here. Further, please urge any other
    clergy you know (Jewish or otherwise) who live or work in Ohio to also add their names as soon as possible.
    This letter will be presented to the Governor and Ohio Legislature in support of pending legislation.
  3. Add a prayer to end executions in Ohio and across the United States whenever appropriate, including in
    weekly Shabbat services until the job is completed.
  4. As individuals and/or on behalf of congregations, please write a personal letter to Ohio legislators
    representing the districts in which you live & work, when requested by OTSE, in support of a specific reform
    and repeal legislation once introduced. Find your state legislators here.
  5. Host or collaborate in an educational event for members of your synagogue, give a sermon on the issue,
    publish the Ohio Jewish Clergy statement in the temple bulletin and/or provide opportunities for members to
    communicate with their legislators in support of the bill, etc.
  6. Please participate in various presentations of the Clergy sign-on letters calling for reducing and repealing
    the death penalty when such activities are scheduled. These will typically involve press conferences and
    opportunities to visit the offices of our legislators to formally deliver letters. In signing these letters you will be
    coded in the OTSE database to receive such invitations.
  7. Please participate in other campaign activities as appropriate. Details are regularly sent via e-mail and
    updated at otse.org.
  8. Contribute funds personally and encourage individuals and institutions to do likewise, both to
    Ohioans to Stop Executions and local non-profit agencies serving the needs of survivors of crime.
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RECOMMENDATION 52

Adoption of a rule directing that the trial judge is the appropriate authority for the appointment of experts for indigent defendants. The rule should further provide that the decision pertaining to the appointment of experts shall be made, on the record, at one of the prescribed Pre-Trial Conferences.

If defense counsel requests, the demand for appointment of the expert shall be made in-camera ex parte, and the order concerning the appointment shall be under seal.

Upon establishing counsels’ respective compliance with discovery obligations, the question of the appointment of experts (including determination of projected expert fees based upon analysis of expert’s time to be applied to the case as well as consideration of incremental payment of expert fees as case progresses) would be decided by the court, which decision would be subject to immediate appeal, under seal, to the appropriate Court of Appeals. The trial court judge shall make written findings as to the basis for any denial. Although concerns have been raised as to the ability of the Appellate Court to provide the anticipated, necessary expedited hearing within a reasonable time-frame, the Joint Task Force suggests that this issue be elevated to the status of a final appealable order and that the necessary expedited appellate process be spelled out in the statute.

RECOMMENDATION 54

Should the present process of appointment of indigent counsel by the judiciary continue, the main objective should always be to assure the best educationally experienced and qualified candidate, who is available (within the county or outside the county), and who is otherwise willing to take on the responsibilities associated with the case for an appropriate fee and accompanying expenses, is appointed. A uniform fee schedule for such services across the State of Ohio must be a necessary consideration to assure the equal protection and due process for the accused in a capital case.

RECOMMENDATION 55

Adoption of reporting standards to provide complete transparency of record, including requirements to ensure better record keeping by the trial judge and the provision of additional, detailed resource information necessary to assure strict compliance with due process, which information shall be submitted to the Supreme Court upon completion of the case. Such resource information may include unique Constitutional issues, unique evidentiary issues, significant motions, plea rationale, pre-sentence investigation, and any additional information required by the Rule 20 Committee or the Supreme Court of Ohio. Additional types of resource information could be developed as part of the mandated educational process conducted by the Ohio Judicial College.

RECOMMENDATION 56

The Joint Task Force believes that some of the recommendations above could be accomplished by the adoption of a separate Criminal Rule for Capital Cases. The Joint Task Force recommends that such a rule be adopted and provide for the mandatory training of attorneys and judges (Recommendation 49), the selection and appointment of indigent counsel in capital cases (Recommendation 51), and the enforcement of the ABA Guidelines for the Appointment and Performance of Defense Counsel in Death Penalty Cases and the Supplementary Guidelines for the Mitigation Function of Defense Teams (Recommendations 11 and 12).