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The sad state of executive clemency in Ohio

By Douglas A. Berman

Given that Ohio's current government is a former prison psychologist (background here), I had hoped that Governor Ted Strickland might be a bit more corageous in his use of his executive clemency power than some of his predecessors.  Unfortunately, as this Columbus Dispatch article reveals, only a few murderers have gotten the benefit of Gov. Strickland's mercy:Strickland has 289 clemency requests on his desk ahead of Tapp's. The governor has used his clemency power just three times, all in death-penalty cases, since taking office nearly 18 months ago.The linked article profiles the case of Brad Tapp, who has already served over eight years for two counts of assault and would appear to be a good candidate for clemency:The trial judge in his case has twice signed affidavits stating that the sentence he meted out was far too harsh, and the Ohio Parole Board unanimously recommended in 2005 that Tapp be granted executive clemency...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on June 22, 2008 (boomark / email).