• Skip to content

Ohioans to Stop Executions

otse.org

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission & History
    • Board & Staff
    • Contact OTSE
  • Take Action
    • Join OTSE
    • Donate
    • Upcoming Events
    • Host an Event
    • Open Letter from Ohio’s Faith Leaders
    • Mental Illness Reforms
  • Resources
    • Issues
    • Task Force Recommendations
    • Educational Handouts & Articles
    • Clemency Campaigns
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Publications
  • View OhioanstoStopExecutions’s profile on Facebook
  • View OHStopExecution’s profile on Twitter
  • View OTSE1000’s profile on YouTube
  • View +OtseOrg’s profile on Google+
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Mission & History
    • Board & Staff
    • Contact OTSE
  • Take Action
    • Join OTSE
    • Donate
    • Upcoming Events
    • Host an Event
    • Open Letter from Ohio’s Faith Leaders
    • Mental Illness Reforms
  • Resources
    • Issues
    • Task Force Recommendations
    • Educational Handouts & Articles
    • Clemency Campaigns
    • News
    • Press Releases
    • Publications

July 17, 2018 By Hannah Kubbins

Press Release: Ohioans Across the State to Protest Execution of Robert Van Hook

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OHIOANS ACROSS THE STATE TO PROTEST EXECUTION OF ROBERT VAN HOOK

 

COLUMBUS, OH — July 17, 2018 — Ohio is set to execute death row inmate and honorably discharged U.S. Army veteran Robert Van Hook at 10am on July 18, 2018. Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE) will be gathering at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville as well as in Columbus (in front of the Ohio Statehouse by the McKinley Statue on High Street). Other groups will gather across the state in Cleveland, Dayton, Euclid, Mansfield and Toledo. Several events also take place this evening. The groups are expected to start gathering by 9:30am. A full list of events can be found on OTSE’s calendar.

“Our thoughts are with the family of David Self, the family of Robert Van Hook, and those tasked with carrying out another state-sanctioned execution,” says Executive Director of OTSE Kevin Werner. Ohioans to Stop Executions represents the millions of Ohioans who oppose the death penalty, including dozens of partner organizations such as the NAACP, the Ohio Council of Churches, the Ohio Catholic Conference, and many other faith and secular organizations concerned about effective public policy.

Issues relating to Van Hook’s horrific upbringing, mental illness, and drug addiction were presented at a clemency hearing in June but the Ohio Parole Board voted against clemency, which Gov. Kasich later affirmed. More information about Van Hook’s case can be found here.

Contact: Abe Bonowitz

Abe@otse.org, 561-371-5204

Tweet
Pin
Share
+1
0 Shares

Filed Under: Press Releases

© 2021 Ohioans to Stop Executions · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy

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).

Make YOUR impact.

Support OTSE today!
Donate