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Anti-Death Penalty Advocates Push Against a Resumption of Executions in Ohio

Anti-execution rally
ANDY CHOW
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
Misha Zinkow, rabbi at Temple Israel in Central Ohio, addresses an anti-execution rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

A coalition of anti-death penalty advocates are hoping Gov. John Kasich will once again delay the execution of a death row inmate next month. As Statehouse correspondent Andy Chow reports, religious leaders tried to appeal to Kasich’s faith.

Activists with Ohioans to Stop Executions spread out through the Statehouse to hand out letters to the governor’s office and lawmakers.

During a rally, Misha Zinkow, a rabbi at Temple Israel, explained why he believed capital punishment goes against Jewish values.

“For at least three reasons: Uncertainty in judicial conclusions, it’s cruel and administered inconsistently, and because we believe in repentance over retribution.”

During the three-year halt in executions, Ohio did not see a drop in the murder rate. The group says that’s proof executions don’t deter crime.

Andy Chow is a general assignment state government reporter who focuses on environmental, energy, agriculture, and education-related issues. He started his journalism career as an associate producer with ABC 6/FOX 28 in Columbus before becoming a producer with WBNS 10TV.