Action alert: Ohio executions and mental illness

“While the most important argument in favor of H.B. 81 is the moral one, it has practical benefits, as well. Trying death-penalty cases is expensive, involving years of appeals. Cases with defendants who are mentally ill would be especially subject to post-conviction litigation. Dispensing with the issue early in the trial would be especially helpful to small counties with smaller court budgets.”

“The Ohio General Assembly should pass a bipartisan bill forbidding Ohio to give a death sentence to someone convicted of aggravated murder – but also found to have a serious mental illness. He or she would instead be sentenced to life imprisonment, which is far more reasonable and compassionate.”

“Three years have passed since a statewide task force made 56 recommendations to improve the conduct of the death penalty. Lawmakers have enacted fewer than 10. The courts, too, have been slow to act, though the Ohio Supreme Court led the way in forming the panel. Among the most notable recommendations yet to become law would exclude from the death penalty defendants who suffered from serious mental illness at the time of the crime.”