Capital punishment in Ohio

Capital punishment in Ohio is legal. Since 1897, a total of 341 individuals have been executed in the U.S. state of Ohio. A total of 191 people are under a sentence of death in the state as of October 13, 2007. The current method of execution in Ohio is lethal injection.

Process

The jury does decide the sentence and may give a sentence of life imprisonment without parole for capital offenses. Clemency rests with the governor of Ohio, who receives a non-binding report from the Ohio Parole Board.

Locations and Method

Executions in Ohio are currently performed at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville. Death row for the majority of male inmates is located at the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown (a few male death row inmates are housed at the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Mansfield) while condemned female inmates are housed at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. Prior to the introduction of lethal injection, executions were carried out in the state's electric chair. Electrocution was adopted in Ohio in 1897, making it the second state to use it. 315 electrocutions were carried out at the now defunct Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus between then and 1963.

Capital offenses

Aggravated murder with special circumstances:

**The defendant knowingly created a grave risk of death for one or more persons in addition to the victim of the offense.
** The murder was committed for pecuniary gain or pursuant to an agreement that the defendant would receive something of value.
** The capital offense was committed by a person who is incarcerated, has escaped, is on probation, is in jail, or is under a sentence of imprisonment.
** The offender in the commission of the offense, purposefully caused the death of another who was under thirteen years of age at the time of the commission of the offense and the defendant committed the offense with prior calculation and design.
** The offense was the assassination of the president of the United States or person in line of succession to the presidency, or of the governor or lieutenant governor of this state, or of the president-elect or vice president-elect of the United States, or of the governor-elect of this state, or of a candidate for any of the foregoing offices.
** The murder was committed against a witness in a criminal proceeding to prevent the witness from appearing, or for revenge.
** The offense was committed while the offender was committing, attempting to commit, or fleeing immediately after committing or attempting to commit terrorism.

List of individuals executed since 1976

All of the following individuals have been executed for murder since the "Furman" decision. All 26 were executed by lethal injection. Notable persons executed in Ohio before the "Furman" decision include Anna Marie Hahn.

Demographics

The demographic information on the 23 inmates executed in Ohio between February 19, 1999 and August 8, 2006 is as follows:
* African-American: ~39 percent
* Caucasian: ~61 percent
* Mean Age at Time of Execution: 44 years, 9 months
* Mean Time from Death Sentence to Execution: 14 years, 5 months
* Median Time from Death Sentence to Execution: 17 years, 1 month

See also

* Capital punishment in the United States

External links

"These links are to official State of Ohio records regarding executions in the state and Ohio administrative rules and statutes pertaining to capital punishment in Ohio"
* [http://www.drc.state.oh.us/web/Executed/executed25.htm Ohio Executions 1999 to Present] from the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
* [http://www.ag.state.oh.us/le/prosecuting/pubs/ann_rpt_capital_crimes2005.pdf Capital Crimes 2005 Annual Report] from the Ohio Attorney General's Office (issued April 1, 2006)
* [http://onlinedocs.andersonpublishing.com/oh/lpExt.dll/OAC/1512f/151de/15214?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0# Ohio Administrative Code 5120-9-12 Department of Rehabilitation and Correction -- Institutional rules: death row]
* [http://onlinedocs.andersonpublishing.com/oh/lpExt.dll/PORC/119fb/11ab7/11ab9/11aba?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm&2.0#JD_290301 Ohio Revised Code § 2903.01 Aggravated murder]
* [http://onlinedocs.andersonpublishing.com/oh/lpExt.dll/PORC/119fb/12e5a/12ed8?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm&2.0#JD_h2-294921 Ohio Revised Code §§ 2949.21-2949.31 Death Sentence]
* [http://onlinedocs.andersonpublishing.com/oh/lpExt.dll/PORC/119fb/1247b/12483/12484?f=templates&fn=document-frame.htm&2.0#JD_292902 Ohio Revised Code § 2929.02 Penalties for murder]
* [http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/deathrow.htm All Ohio death row inmates]
* [http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/socf.htm Southern Ohio Correctional Facility] (Location of execution chamber).
* [http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/osp.htm Ohio State Penitentiary] (Location of death row for male inmates)
* [http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/orw.htm Ohio Reformatory for Women] (Location of death row for female inmates)