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Rethinking the Ohio Death Penalty

Reacting to a court's decision that Ohio law precludes using a mixture of three drugs to execute prisoners, The Plain Dealer invites Ohioans to reconsider the death penalty:

There is always the danger, despite safeguards in the criminal justice system, that an innocent person will be killed. The road to the death chamber is usually long and expensive. Survivors of a heinous crime may never get the closure they desire. The state is put in the awkward position of taking life in the name of protecting it. And then there are the death chamber embarrassments - procedures that take longer than anyone can stomach in part because they're done by nonmedical personnel using rudimentary equipment.

According to The Plain Dealer, "the death penalty - however administered - has no place in 21st century Ohio."

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    I agree (none / 0) (#1)
    by befuddledvoter on Fri Jun 20, 2008 at 11:16:53 PM EST
    The death penalty should be abolished.  It is archaic and an embarassment to this country. Most foreign countries with which we have extradition treaties will not extradite unless the death penalty is off the table.  

    The Cleveland Plain Dealer (none / 0) (#2)
    by CoralGables on Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 12:49:31 AM EST
    deserves kudos for pressing a one time unpopular opinion, and trying to make it a more mainstream opinion by keeping it in front of the public.

    Ohio vs Michigan (none / 0) (#3)
    by jsj20002 on Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 08:54:57 AM EST
    TChris.  Do you have any data on whether there are more murders in Michigan, which has not had a death penalty for years, and Ohio?    

    Here's a chart (none / 0) (#4)
    by TChris on Sat Jun 21, 2008 at 02:53:39 PM EST
    Thanks (none / 0) (#5)
    by jsj20002 on Sun Jun 22, 2008 at 08:37:04 AM EST
    Ouch.  Not what I had expected.  But thanks for the data.  

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