Ohio OpEd

Saturday's Columbus Dispatch published the OpEd, "Death-penalty examination was balanced," by James Brogan.

It is unfortunate that The Dispatch editorial board already has concluded that a good number of the recommendations made by Ohio’s death-penalty joint task force are “unworthy of serious consideration” (“Get a second opinion,” Dispatch editorial, June 5).

Shortly after the task force, of which I was the chairman, issued its report, the Constitution Project’s Death Penalty Committee issued its report adopting reforms very similar to those in Ohio’s report.

And:

In the task force’s dissenting report, the authors claim the task force was strongly influenced by a pro-defense majority with an agenda of death-penalty abolition, not fairness.

Note that law enforcement had twice as many representatives on the commission as did the defense. The task force’s largest contingent were judges, who are trained to approach matters in an even-handed manner.

The Final Report & Recommendations and the Dissenting Report of the Joint Task Force to Review the Administration of Ohio's Death Penalty are available at the links.

Earlier coverage of Ohio's study commission begins at the link.  You can also jump to news of the Constitution Project's latest death penalty report.