COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Legislation to abolish the death penalty in Ohio is set to have a fourth hearing today.

The House Criminal Justice Committee will hear from interested parties on House Bill 183, which has a companion bill in the Senate.

Rev. Dr. Crystal Walker, executive director of the group Greater Dayton Christian Connections, whose son was murdered in 2013, said the death penalty cannot bring him back, and she would not want his killer's family to feel the loss she feels.

"All it does is cause sorrow and pain to another family," Walker asserted. "And we have to stop this because someone loves the perpetrator as much as they love the victim."

Opponents of repeal argued the death penalty is reserved for the "worst of the worst," offenders, and say ending it would put serial killers or mass murderers on the same level as someone else committing an aggravated murder. Ohio has not held an execution since 2018 due to problems acquiring a suitable drug for lethal injections.

Jonathan Mann, vice chair of Ohioans to Stop Executions, said he struggled with the moral implications of the death penalty after his father was murdered in 2017. He contended it is not a deterrent, adding there currently is no legal means for executions in the state.

"The cocktail of drugs that had been previously used for lethal injection have been referred to as barbaric and inhumane," Mann pointed out. "And what we're talking about here from the death penalty perspective and ending lives is philosophically humane ways to do that -- that currently does not exist."

Melinda Elkins Johnson of Barberton, the daughter of murder victim, said when her mother was murdered in 1998, her husband was falsely accused and could have been given the death penalty. She said no one believed her claims he was innocent, and did not view her as a victim herself.

"Not one time did victims' assistance or the prosecutor's office attempt to contact me for any reason," Johnson recounted. "I was given no services. I was completely a pariah in their eyes."

Proponents of repeal argued money used for executions should be redirected to provide assistance to victim's families, including mental-health care, and money to pay for funeral costs, mortgages or tuition.

In Mississippi, people face many barriers to restarting their lives after prison and this week, the "Rethinking Reentry" conference will focus on helping them succeed.

Mississippi has one of the world's highest incarceration rates, with more than 1,000 people locked up for every 100,000 residents.

Yahaira Battiata, community outreach administrator for the DirectEmployers Association, said her organization will be part of the conference to network with employers and community-based organizations hiring people who have served their sentences, and who may need help with compliance and recruitment challenges.

"We help employers bridge the gap between recruitment marketing and OFCCP compliance. We assist them with online recruitment, DEI and compliance," Battiata outlined. "My role is to connect community-based organizations who have any kind of diversity program, any kind of employment or job readiness program."

The nonprofit Mississippi Center for Reentry hosts the one-day in-person and virtual conference Aug.1, at Tunica Resorts. Participants will hear from people who have been in jail or prison and those who work with them, on how to improve reentry services.

Elizabeth English, a criminal justice advocate, said at the conference, she will discuss how her son being charged as an adult at 17 and her grandson's murder in 2020 have intensified her fight for justice.

"I'll be speaking on several different things," English noted. "Transparency within our judicial and law enforcement, that's a big problem. Habitual offender is a big issue, and drives mass incarceration nationwide; and if I can get a word or two in about no-knock warrants, and the dangers that poses."

English added her advocacy work also involves reaching out to lawmakers and local law enforcement to explore ways to improve Mississippi's criminal justice system.

Andre De Gruy, Mississippi state public defender, said he will join English and other speakers for the "Reentry Talk" panel discussion. They will discuss how the state can potentially improve things from a legal advocacy perspective.

"I'll be talking about the public defender system, so people maybe have a better understanding of how it's working, how it's not working," De Gruy explained. "What are the things that we want to do, like having standards for public defenders, so that public defenders know what they're supposed to be doing?"

De Gruy noted for the last few years, legislation has been proposed to establish standards for public defenders in Mississippi, subject to Supreme Court approval, on issues like data collection and workload limits. The bill passed both House and Senate last session, only to be killed on a procedural motion.


get more stories like this via email

About 7,000 Nebraskans with felony convictions who thought they'd be able to register to vote, now face uncertainty.

In question is the constitutionality of Legislative Bill 20, a new law scheduled to take effect last week.

It restores voting rights without a two year waiting period for people who've served their sentences. Gov. Jim Pillen allowed it to become law without his signature.

Jane Seu, legal and policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska, said it appears Nebraska Secretary of State Robert Evnen asked Attorney General Mike Hilgers about the law, and Hilgers has concluded it is unconstitutional.

"This is a validly passed and enacted law," said Seu. "The legislature passed it through its own process with major bipartisan support. So really, I think what all the Attorney General's doing - and the Secretary of State - is really just causing confusion and doubt for voters, questioning their right to vote."

In his opinion, Hilgers points out the Nebraska Constitution grants the power to restore voting rights to the Board of Pardons.

Seu said she thinks this opinion has the potential to harm many more Nebraskans than those helped by LB-20.

That's because it also calls a 2005 law into question, which established the two-year waiting period in lieu of a Board of Pardons decision.

Seu said the speed with which Evnen acted after receiving Hilgers' opinion is noteworthy.

"So, the Attorney General released his opinion, and the Secretary of State has decided to follow that - and has directed county election officials to not register people with felony convictions to vote," said Seu. "That happened the same day, so kind of showing some coordination to keep people with felony convictions from being able to vote."

With the passage of LB-20, Nebraska became one of the 40 states that restore voting rights to people with felony convictions. Seu said this issue is far from settled.

"We want every Nebraska voter to know that their vote matters," said Seu. "They deserve a say in our democracy, and we're going to do everything we can to uphold that right. So, we're exploring every possible option."

Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.




get more stories like this via email

It's being called a historic milestone - 200 people have been exonerated after being sentenced to death since 1973, what's known as the modern era of capital punishment.

The exonerees were wrongfully convicted, because of misconduct from government officials or other factors, and then set free after being behind bars - sometimes for decades.

Robin Maher, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, said cases like this have been devastating not just for individual families, but for the nation.

"Communities really lose confidence in the integrity of the legal system," said Maher, "and its ability to respond appropriately and keep them safe."

Half of the public now believes the U.S. unfairly applies the death penalty, according to the latest polling. But a majority of Americans still favor death sentences for those convicted of murder.

Capital punishment is illegal in West Virginia, and the state's last execution was more than 60 years ago. But there have been efforts to reinstate it this year.

And a jury recommended federal death sentences for two Mountain State residents in 2007, which were later overturned.

Nationwide, Maher said far more than 200 people have likely been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death, in part because of challenges with the legal appeal process.

"Once someone is convicted and sent to prison, that burden then shifts to them to prove that they're innocent," said Maher. "And that's very difficult to do without a good lawyer. And it's also very difficult to do because of the operation of the law."

The Death Penalty Information Center says two-thirds of those exonerated have been people of color.

President Joe Biden campaigned on abolishing the federal death penalty, but his administration has taken few steps to do so.




get more stories like this via email