In 2011, the Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court appointed a blue-ribbon Commission to review the state’s death penalty and to make recommendations for reform. On April 10, the Commission prepared to announce 56 recommendations for changing the death penalty, including:
► Require higher standards for proving guilt if a death sentence is sought (such as DNA evidence)
► Bar the death penalty for those who suffer from “serious mental illness”
► Lessen the number of crimes eligible for the death penalty
► Create a Death Penalty Charging Committee at the Attorney General’s Office to approve capital prosecutions
► Adopt a Racial Justice Act to facilitate inequality claims in Ohio courts.
See all 56 proposed recommendations from the Task Force.
(A. Welsh-Huggins, “Death penalty restrictions recommended in Ohio,” Associated Press, April 9, 2014). See Studies, Arbitrariness and Ohio.
- Death Penalty Information Center (2025, March 14). Ohio Commission to Release Recommendations for Death Penalty Reform. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ohio-commission-to-release-recommendations-for-death-penalty-reform
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Ohio Commission to Release Recommendations for Death Penalty Reform.” Last modified March 14, 2025. Accessed October 2, 2026. https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ohio-commission-to-release-recommendations-for-death-penalty-reform.
- Death Penalty Information Center. “Ohio Commission to Release Recommendations for Death Penalty Reform.” Death Penalty Information Center, 14 Mar. 2025, https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/ohio-commission-to-release-recommendations-for-death-penalty-reform. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.
