Two recent reports released in Ohio show a decline in the use of the death penalty, with one of the reports raising concerns about the fairness of the system. The number of death-penalty cases filed in Ohio in 2013 was the lowest number in over 30 years. The number of capital indictments was down 28% from 2012 and 63% from 2011, according to a report from Ohioans to Stop Executions, “The Death Lottery: How Race and Geography Determine Who Goes to Ohio’s Death Row.” Ohio had 4 death sentences in 2013, compared to 24 in 1985. The report noted concerns about arbitrary application of the death penalty, even as the number of cases decreased: “While Ohio’s overall use of the death penalty is slowing, it has become clearer … that the race of the victim and location of the crime are the most accurate predictors of death sentences,” the report stated. Almost 40% of all capital indictments in Ohio come from just one county (Cuyahoga), which represents just 11% of the state’s population. Nearly 77% of the executions in the state involved cases where the murder victim was white, despite the fact that generally 66% of murder victims in Ohio are people of color. A report from Ohio’s Attorney General Office, “Capital Crimes Annual Report,” indicated that 52 inmates have been executed since 1981, while 126 death-row inmates had their sentences reduced or died of natural causes.

(A. Johnson, “Ohio still adding to Death Row population,” Columbus Dispatch, April 2, 2014; “The Death Lottery: How Race and Geography Determine Who Goes to Ohio’s Death Row,” Ohioans to Stop Executions, April, 2014; “Capital Crimes Annual Report,” Ohio Atty. Gen. Ofc., April 1, 2014). See Arbitrariness and Studies.

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