Bill > SB134

This bill abolishes the death penalty in Ohio and makes several related changes to state law. Here's a summary of the key provisions: This bill eliminates the death penalty for criminal offenses in Ohio. Specifically, it removes all references to capital punishment throughout Ohio's Revised Code and replaces death sentences with life imprisonment without parole. For offenders who were previously sentenced to death before the bill's effective date, their sentences will be converted to life imprisonment without parole. The bill also makes several consequential changes: 1. Removes provisions related to capital case procedures, including special jury selection rules, sentencing guidelines, and post-conviction relief processes specific to death penalty cases. 2. Prohibits public funding for lethal injection drugs used in executions, nontherapeutic abortions, and assisted suicide. 3. Modifies various legal statutes to remove references to the death penalty, including sentencing guidelines, appeals processes, and criminal procedure rules. 4. Ensures that attorneys appointed to represent defendants in existing death penalty cases will still be certified under the previous capital case appointment rules. 5. Adjusts parole eligibility and earned credit rules for inmates serving life sentences. The bill represents a comprehensive approach to abolishing capital punishment in Ohio, replacing it with life imprisonment without parole and making corresponding technical amendments to state law to remove death penalty-related provisions. The changes aim to eliminate the death penalty while maintaining the state's ability to impose the most serious punishment for the most severe crimes.

Justice

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/sb134