Sign the petition to thank Governor DeWine and encourage him to commute the row.
Today, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine thoughtfully expressed his opposition to the death penalty. He was clear that, in his 50 years serving in numerous roles orbiting capital punishment, he has had a long time to consider this complex issue. He stated that he once believed the death penalty was a deterrent to crime and murder. Now, he says, “it is clear from this data that the certainty of the death penalty being applied has steadily gone down over the years. The odds of a murderer being indicted for a capital offense are dramatically less today, and even if actually indicted for a capital offense, the odds of them being sentenced to death are even more remote.”
Governor DeWine noted the impact on victims’ family members. “One feeling, however, that seems to be universally held by victims’ families is that the long, long wait to see if the death penalty is carried out is frustrating and very hurtful for these families,” he said.
He also now recognized that those we task with carrying out an execution are also impacted. “We must be mindful of the impact preparations for, and the carrying out of executions have on them. They are the forgotten people — but they are real people. They are our fellow Ohioans.”
Kevin Werner, Executive Director of OTSE, said “Governor DeWine’s evolution on the death penalty is exactly what we’ve seen in communities across Ohio from MAGA Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Nobody supports a system that harms victim families, convicts innocent people and wastes millions of dollars without a shred of improved public safety.”