Ohio Republicans Block Attempt at Death Penalty Study

Senate Republicans have turned back the latest attempt to find out if innocent people are on Ohio's death row and whether the state's capital crimes laws are applied fairly to all defendants. The Republicans voted Tuesday to block an amendment by Democrats to authorize a death penalty study. Senator Ray Miller of Columbus offered the amendment to a bill that would allow courts to re-sentence defendants to death or life without parole if their original death sentences were overturned on technicalities. Miller said the study would use DNA and other testing to help determine if any innocent people are on death row. Miller also said minorities and the poor are disproportionately represented among death row inmates. [more]