Bipartisan Legislation to Abolish the Death Penalty in Ohio Introduced by Rep. Adam Miller

Legislation would end expensive, time-consuming, and ineffective means of reducing crime rates

September 6, 2023

COLUMBUS – Rep. Adam Miller (D-Columbus) today re-introduced legislation that would abolish the death penalty in the state of Ohio.

“It is 2023. It is time to end the death penalty,” said Rep. Miller. “Apart from moral, ethical, and spiritual reasons to oppose capital punishment, the carrying out of executions raises significant concerns on who is sentenced to death and how that sentence is carried out. It is long past time that Ohio joins the global community in ending the death penalty.”

Since 1999, Ohio has carried out 56 executions. Currently 122 people are on Ohio’s Death Row. Ohio has also had 11 people exonerated for the crime in which they were sentenced to death. In addition, depending on the cost estimate used, Ohio could save millions of tax-payers dollars if these prisoners were given life without parole instead of the costly death penalty option.

Governor Mike DeWine declared an “unofficial moratorium” on executions in December of 2020 and stated that lethal injection is no longer an option for Ohio executions.

The bill now awaits referral to a House committee.