Executions in Ohio decline

COLUMBUS

Fewer people received death sentences in Ohio last year than in all other years since capital punishment was re-instituted in the state nearly three decades ago.

And that means, though there are monthly executions scheduled through late this year, there could be fewer taking place in years to come.

That’s the conclusion you might draw from the 2010 Capital Crimes Report, published this month by the Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Richard Cordray released the document last week, fulfilling an annual obligation instituted by lawmakers in 1998.

The report, available online at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov, includes detailed information about every inmate on Death Row — the crimes that led to their death sentences and the victims involved. It’s gruesome stuff that can’t be taken lightly.

Court cases

But the document also provides a history of the death penalty in Ohio, plus a summary of the court cases that affected how the state carries out death sentences. And it outlines the entire legal process in capital punishment cases, complete with a flow chart explaining the state and federal courts involvement and executive clemency review.

Here are some of the details included in the report:

Only one inmate, Hersie Wesson in Summit County, was sentenced to death last year, the fewest since the death penalty was re-established in the state in 1981.

Since 1983, there has been an average of 9-10 death sentences per year in Ohio, with a high of 18 in 1985 and 17 in 1996.

Ohio executed five inmates in 2009, the highest number since 2004, when seven lethal injections were administered.

Currently, executions are scheduled monthly through October, with a dozen or so others ripe for dates.

Since 1981, 11 individuals on Death Row have had their sentences commuted to life in prison by the governor. Another 20 individuals died of natural causes before their death sentences could be carried out.

And close to 70 had their sentences reduced following further legal proceedings.

As of Dec. 31, there were 160 inmates on Death Row (159 men and one woman). Eighty-two were African-American, while 71 were white.

The average age of a Death Row inmate is about 46 years, and their average time on Death Row is about 14 years.

Those inmates accounted for 235 murder victims, including 183 adults and 52 children. That total included 126 men and 109 women.

Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at Ohio.