An Associated Press analy­sis of the 334 cap­i­tal indict­ments filed in Franklin County, Ohio, found that only 16 (5%) of the cas­es end­ed with a death sen­tence. Of those sen­tences, two have been reduced to life in prison with­out parole, one man died on the row, and two men were exe­cut­ed this year. Research shows that of the remain­ing Franklin County cas­es, 183 cas­es (55%) end­ed in plea agree­ments, and in 111 cas­es (33%) juries or three-judge pan­els con­vict­ed the offend­ers but did not sen­tence them to death. In 45 of those 111 cas­es, offend­ers were con­vict­ed of less­er charges, and in the remain­ing 44 cas­es that went to tri­al, the juries con­vict­ed the offend­ers of crimes that car­ried the death penal­ty but chose prison terms instead. According to Ohio State University Professor Doug Berman, the death penal­ty ​“remains a rel­a­tive­ly rarely used sanc­tion” in Ohio and to the aver­age pros­e­cu­tor ​“it’s a mech­a­nism that allows them to enter plea nego­ti­a­tions in a stronger posi­tion.” According to pros­e­cu­tor Ron O’Brien, a change in state law that guar­an­teed life with­out parole in cap­i­tal cas­es has been a fac­tor in plea nego­ti­a­tions. (Associated Press, April 6, 2004) See Life Without Parole.

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