Ohio’s attorney general says he will continue to uphold the state’s death penalty law, in spite of a call for abolishment of the capital punishment yesterday from Gov. Mike DeWine, who appointed him AG.
Andy Wilson said in an interview he respects the opinion of DeWine, who appointed him as AG last month. While DeWine has asked the Ohio legislature to abolish executions for good, Wilson supports the use of capital punishment, as a former prosecutor who tried four death penalty cases.
"I believe that the death penalty is a tool that should be available for prosecutors in the criminal justice system in a very limited set of cases when dealing with these most serious crimes," Wilson said.
DeWine cited data that he said shows the death penalty isn't a deterrent for his opposition. But Wilson said deterrence isn't the only goal of the criminal justice system, which also includes rehabilitation, retribution, restitution and incapacitation as goals.
"You can argue one way or the other on whether or not, whether or not the death penalty has a deterrent effect. But it certainly has an incapacitating effect, or it certainly serves a retribution goal for families," said Wilson.
Wilson said he is relieved that DeWine didn’t commute the death sentences of the 114 people on death row.
"By the time you get to 'guilty', and by the time you run through the entire appellate process, there have been a lot of different entities that have weighed in on the fact that the death penalty is appropriate in this case," Wilson said. "So I am glad that the governor, as one person, didn't undo all of the work of all of these other people in these cases who have decided that the death penalty was an appropriate sentence."
But DeWine still could commute the sentences of people on death row before he and Wilson both leave office in January.
But DeWine can't change the death penalty law; that decision is ultimately up to state lawmakers. Several legislators praised DeWine's decision, including Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon), Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland) and Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) as well as Sen. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City). But other lawmakers have been public in their opposition to repealing the capital punishment statute, including House Finance Chair Brian Stewart (R-Ashville) and Rep. Mike Dovilla (R-Berea) and Gary Click (R-Vickery).
