Antonio Applauds DeWine's Call to End Death Penalty in Ohio

Today, Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) issued the following statement in response to Governor DeWine’s commitment to end the death penalty in Ohio. 

“I am thankful to Governor DeWine for his support in ending the death penalty in our state,” said Leader Antonio. “I have talked with countless families and advocates and have come to understand an absolute truth: the death penalty is not justice, but rather a component of a broken justice system. Capital punishment is not the answer for Ohio. We must abolish the death penalty and seek justice for families by instituting life sentences without parole, ending their recurring trauma of the appeal process.”

The Ohio Legislature currently has bipartisan legislation that would end the death penalty in both chambers. This includes Senate Bill 133 and Senate Bill 134, sponsored by Leader Antonio and Senator Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City), as well as House Bill 72, sponsored by Reps. Jean Schdmit (R-Loveland) and Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon). All three pieces of legislation have yet to receive a first hearing, with less than six months left in the general assembly. 

“The time to act is now. As a society, we must be better than our most heinous criminals and our flawed criminal justice system. The harsh reality is that Ohio has a capital punishment system problem. As lawmakers, it is our duty to solve it by ending it.”