The prospect of a death penalty repeal has never gotten as far along in Ohio as it has this year. So it seemed like a great time to bring together Jennifer Pryor, Director of Organizing & Community Outreach at Ohioans to Stop Executions, and Sarah Craft, Death Penalty Program Director at EJUSA. They discussed the evolution of the death penalty movement over the past 17 years.
To put it plainly, a lot has changed. In 2005, leadership that supported executions. Today, national and local leaders vocally condemn capital punishment. Executions have decreased to just over a third of what the numbers were in the past.
National support for repealing the death penalty has grown every year. Many more people are being vocal about being against executions fundamentally. Historically, a call for innocence or obvious racial bias has dictated the wave of support.
There’s a clearer understanding that racial disparities in the death penalty run throughout the criminal legal system. Visit our YouTube Channel to listen to their conversation.
