COLUMBUS – The Ohio Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) strongly supports Governor DeWine’s official statement calling for the abolition of the death penalty.
The NAACP has been unequivocally opposed to the death penalty for over 50 years, most recently reaffirming our stance in 2022. According to research, Black people are about 7½ times more likely than whites to be wrongfully convicted of murder in the U.S., and about 80% more likely to be innocent than others convicted of murder.
Legally, the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits the infliction of “cruel and unusual” punishment, and the Ohio NAACP has declared that the death penalty is being applied in violation of that Amendment. It is difficult to conceive of a punishment more cruel or unusual than the death penalty.
The Ohio NAACP recognizes that the risk of executing innocent people still exists, especially since the justice system is controlled by human beings and, as is the case with any human endeavor, is fallible. Of course, the death penalty is irreversible, and imposing a punishment that has the potential to make a mistake should not be tolerated in a civilized society.
Of special significance is the fact that, in Ohio, as in most states, Black people are disproportionately sentenced to death, especially when the victim is white. Statistical data accumulated over the years indicate that racial disparity in the imposition of the death penalty remains real and undeniable. The racial implications alone, especially in a fallible system, should demand that positive-minded people call for reform.
Supporters of the death penalty may contend that it serves as a deterrent. However, Governor DeWine is correct that it is not a deterrent. Since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1981, Ohio has executed 56 individuals while exonerating 12.
This means that roughly one wrongful conviction occurs for every five executions. Such a high rate of wrongful convictions should not be tolerated, especially since the death penalty is irreversible.
The Ohio Conference NAACP applauds Governor Michael DeWine for announcing his opposition to the death penalty and for calling on Ohio lawmakers to repeal it. Governor DeWine, like other well-intentioned politicians, now recognizes that the death penalty neither deters crime and creates more problems than it solves.
Tom Roberts, President of the Ohio Conference NAACP said: “The Ohio General Assembly must join Governor DeWine in eliminating the death penalty legislatively or put it to a statewide vote. The death penalty is disproportionate, irreversible, and cruel. Ohio must abolish the death penalty.”