"We believe the death penalty denies the power of Christ to redeem, restore, and transform all human beings.... When governments implement the death penalty (capital punishment), then the life of the convicted person is devalued and all possibility of change in that person’s life ends. We believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and that the possibility of reconciliation with Christ comes through repentance. This gift of reconciliation is offered to all individuals without exception and gives all life new dignity and sacredness. For this reason, we oppose the death penalty (capital punishment) and urge its elimination from all criminal codes." - United Methodist Social Principles ¶164.G
The Death Penalty: Myth vs. Fact
- Myth: The death penalty deters crime.
- Fact: There is no evidence that the death penalty deters violent crime. The South, which accounts for 80% of executions in the U.S., also has the highest murder rate.
- Myth: Executions save money.
- Fact: Capital punishment is the most expensive part of our criminal justice system.
- Myth: We only sentence people to death row when we are certain of their guilt.
- Fact: Since 1973, more than 185 death row inmates have been exonerated of all charges and released - 11 of them in Ohio.
- Myth: Ohioans support the death penalty.
- Fact: In 2020, 59% of Ohioans supported replacing the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Source: No Death Penalty Ohio, 'Myth vs Fact'
What can you do?
- Learn more about the death penalty in Ohio through No Death Penalty Ohio or Ohioans to Stop Executions.
- Contact your lawmakers to urge them to support legislation that will abolish the death penalty in Ohio.
- Download an advocacy toolkit from No Death Penalty Ohio.
- Invite a speaker to your church or organization.
- Sign on to letters that urge action against the death penalty in Ohio.
- Join a grassroots training from No Death Penalty Ohio.
- Host an event at your church or in your community.
| Did You Know? |
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| Since 1973, 190 former death-row prisoners have been exonerated of all charges related to the wrongful convictions that had put them on death row. Capital defendants charged with killing a white victim in Ohio are twice as likely to receive a death sentence as those charged with killing a black person. |
Resources
- UM Church & Society
- No Death Penalty Ohio
- Ohioans to Stop Executions
- Death Penalty Action
- Death Penalty Information Center
- Center on Wrongful Convictions
- Innocence Project
- No Death Penalty (U.S.)
- Witness to Innocence
- People of Faith Against the Death Penalty
Contact Mariellyn Grace, Mission & Communication Coordinator, with questions or for more information.