Courts and Crime
Friday, January 20, 2012
Rethinking the death penalty
Ohio Supreme Court judge who helped create the law has changed his mind
by WKSU's STATEHOUSE BUREAU CHIEF KAREN KASLER |
Reporter
Karen Kasler | | |
 | | Pfeifer has served on the Ohio Supreme Court since 1993 |
As the state waits on the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on whether it can resume executions, one of Ohio’s longest-serving justices has been speaking out against the death penalty law.
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Paul Pfeifer helped create the death penalty statute in 1981 when he was a state senator. But lately, Pfeifer has written and even testified against it the law, which he says is too “hit-or-miss” to be effective.
Pfeifer says as a creator of the law and as someone who enforces it on the high court, he felt he needed to speak out. |
Pfeifer discusses the death penaltyOther options:  MP3 Download (0:23)
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Pfeifer has said since some prosecutors seek the death penalty and others don’t, the law has become more of a death penalty “lottery”. Pfeifer also says he thinks the death penalty will soon be a thing of the past. |
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