ACLU of Ohio Statement on Governor DeWine’s Clemency Considerations

Today, news broke that Governor DeWine is reviewing cases as he officially considers issuing commutations to individuals on Ohio’s death row before he leaves office in January.

The ACLU of Ohio, an organization staunchly opposed to capital punishment since its founding, issued the following statement:

“We are very encouraged that Governor DeWine is considering individual cases for clemency. The death penalty in Ohio is irreparably broken, and The ACLU of Ohio has long been echoing the call for meaningful executive action to address this injustice. The time for commutations is now. The Ohio Constitution grants governors unique authority over the state capital punishment system and clemency powers belong to the executive branch for a reason. We are grateful that no executions have been carried out during Governor DeWine’s eight years in office, but as his term is coming to an end, we are hopeful that his evolved stance on the death penalty will inform his final acts in office. Furthermore, voters in Ohio have made clear they support commutations. This update from the DeWine administration comes days after historic news out of California, where Governor Gavin Newsom announced that he is commuting the sentences of 548 people on death row to address the systemic injustice of the death penalty. Ohio’s death penalty system is no different. Disturbingly, Ohio leads California in the number of people exonerated from death row. For every 5 people executed in Ohio, another one is found innocent. Executing an innocent person is not a risk we should be willing to take, and we hope Governor DeWine is seriously weighing that risk. Clemency is an act of justice. We look forward to additional information and will be following the forthcoming Ohio Parole Board hearings closely.”