Ohio’s law on death penalty to be reviewed

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s top judge announced Thursday a committee will review the state’s death-penalty law and determine if changes should be made but with an important caveat: It won’t debate whether Ohio should have capital punishment.

The review, 30 years after Ohio enacted its most recent death-penalty law, will make sure the current system is administered fairly, efficiently and in the most “judicious manner possible,” said Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor.

“Is the system we have the best we can do?” said O’Connor, a Republican and a former prosecutor. “Convening persons with broad experience on this subject will produce a fair, impartial, and balanced analysis.”

The committee, convened by the Supreme Court and the Ohio State Bar Association, will consist of judges, prosecuting attorneys, criminal defense lawyers, lawmakers and academic experts.