Our Stand
Tri-State Freethinkers passed a resolution in August 2016 condemning capital punishment for the following reasons:
- We believe in the worth and dignity of every human life.
- Governments, including the United States, have repeatedly executed the innocent.
- There is no such thing as a humane execution.
- Facts and evidence overwhelmingly support that punishment, including capital punishment, is not equally applied across racial and economic classes
The Reality
Why do we kill people who kill people to show people that killing people is wrong? That makes no sense. It’s immoral, applied unfairly, and is an antiquated solution. In addition, from a purely fiscal perspective, it costs considerably more to prosecute a death penalty case than it does to house a criminal for a life sentence.
The Facts
- Nine men have been exonerated from Ohio’s death row since 1976
- From the Ohio Commission on Racial Fairness, “The numbers speak for themselves. A perpetrator is geometrically more likely to end up on death row if the homicide victim is white rather than black.”
- Numerous studies across the country have shown the death penalty to be an ineffective deterrent to violent crime.
- At least $16.8 Million dollars is spent in Ohio on capital punishment cases.
The Solution
- End capital punishment or restrict its use
What we are doing
OTSE
We’ve partnered with Ohioans to Stop Executions (OTSE). OTSE is a coalition of organizations and like-minded individuals working to reduce and end the use of capital punishment in Ohio.
Education
Our August 2016 Monthly Meeting educated our members on the issues surrounding the death penalty. The following speakers presented:
- Derrick Jamison
Derrick Jamison was an innocent man who spent nearly 20 years on Ohio’s death row for a murder and robbery he did not commit. When James Suggs, an eyewitness to the killing of a Cincinnati bartender, was shown photos of suspects by police, he identified two men — but neither of them was Derrick Jamison. - Andrea Koverman
Andrea Koverman is a newly vowed member of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. Andrea is the program manager at the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center in Cincinnati where she develops education and advocacy opportunities around the issues of the death penalty, human trafficking, and peace and nonviolence. - Melinda Elkins-Dawson, Chair
Melinda is the Chair of the OTSE Board. She was elected to serve in this capacity in 2014. Her personal story with Ohio’s death penalty is remarkable. Melinda’s mother, Judith Johnson, was murdered in 1998. Melinda spent the next eight years of her life working to prove the innocence of her then-husband Clarence Elkins, who was wrongfully convicted of the murder. Melinda’s family began to move forward with their lives in 2008 when the true culprit was brought to justice. Her exhaustive work and that of the Ohio Innocence Project led to the exoneration of Clarence Elkins in 2005.
What You Can Do
- Educate yourself on the facts
- Join us for the next lobby day
- Support the Tri-State Freethinkers