Top Ohio lawmakers have been talking about the state dropping the death penalty as a sentencing option.
Ohio Speaker of the House Larry Householder said that the state should reconsider capital punishment after Governor Mike DeWine pushed back three more executions a couple of weeks ago because they don't have the drugs to perform them. Law experts say the discussion is more of a practical argument of not being able to do executions in the state, instead of if the practice is an effective deterrent or effective retribution to the crime of murder than life in prison.
“I think you can make a strong argument that life in prison without parole probably accomplishes as much for deterrence as capital punishment does,” says Professor Bryan Ward, Law Professor at Ohio Northern University. “Retribution is a little bit different. I have heard the Speaker of the Statehouse say last week, that he thought languishing in prison for the rest of your life was just as effective of punishment as capital punishment might be.”
Ward says it would take a legislative action to end capital punishment in Ohio, and nothing moves rapidly involving legislation. But if Ohio can't find the drugs for executions, he could see the state ending the death penalty as an option.
