Ohio Governor Mike DeWine delayed the executions of three death row inmates citing ongoing issues with pharmaceutical drug suppliers for the state’s lethal injection method.
DeWine said in a statement that he is “issuing the reprieves due to ongoing problems involving the willingness of pharmaceutical suppliers to provide drugs to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC), pursuant to DRC protocol, without endangering other Ohioans.”
The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections details that currently, there are 138 people on Ohio Death Row. No executions have occurred in Ohio since DeWine took office in 2019. John Kasich was the state’s governor in 2018 when the last execution occurred.
In 2019, after postponing a death row inmate’s execution, DeWine’s office said prison officials couldn’t find a drug manufacturer for the method after a judge ruled the previous protocol was cruel and unusual punishment.
DeWine’s office stated at the time that pharmaceutical firms informed the state it would completely stop providing its medications to Ohio if it believed any of its products were being used in executions.
DeWine said that refusing other drugs was a danger to Ohio residents.
DeWine issued three reprieves that postponed the execution of three male inmates to 2026. The three men were scheduled to be executed this year starting on August 16.
Since the judge’s directive, DeWine previously granted comparable stays to other prisoners. In 2020, he declared an “unofficial moratorium” on the death penalty due to a lack of medicines. He advised lawmakers to come up with an alternative execution strategy.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to end the death penalty in Ohio altogether last month and instead pursue life without parole for capital crimes.
Senate Bill (SB) 101, sponsored by State Senators Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), Michele Reynolds (R-Canal Winchester), Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus), and Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), says that since death row has not been recently active in the state, it’s time for Ohio to take steps to abolish capital punishment.
“It is time for the State of Ohio to take the pragmatic, economically prudent and principled step to end capital punishment. It will take all of us working together to make this kind of monumental change in Ohio. Today, we join a growing call for abolition, against a backdrop of public opinion, which increasingly favors life sentences over the use of the death penalty in Ohio and across the nation,” Antonio said.
According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, he supports the death penalty, especially for “the most heinous offenders.”
“I support the death penalty, especially for the most heinous offenders and as a way to protect our corrections officers. Consider offenders already serving a life sentence who commit murder in prison – what penalty should they receive? “The bottom line: Ohio’s death penalty is a farce and a broken promise of justice – and it must be fixed. This discussion has been a long time coming, so let’s have it now. If Ohio chooses to end capital punishment, let it own the decision in the full light of day. I will stand on the other side, with the families of the slain,” Yost said.
According to a year-end analysis by the Death Penalty Information Center, the use and implementation of the death penalty in America continued to drop in 2022 as polls revealed that public support for the death penalty remained close to historic lows.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star and The Star News Network. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
