Ohio Governor Mike DeWine called on state lawmakers on Tuesday to abolish the death penalty. During a news conference, the 79-year-old governor stated his belief that the state should end capital punishment.
DeWine explained that data shows the death penalty is not serving as a deterrent to violent crime or murder, as the law he helped write had intended. He further noted that the practice did not improve public safety.
Having co-written the bill to reinstate Ohio's death penalty more than 45 years ago, DeWine said the moral justification he once had for voting for the death penalty simply no longer exists.
These remarks come as support for capital punishment has steadily declined in the United States, with several states rolling back its use.