Two Separate ABA Studies Find Inequity and Inaccuracy in Death Penalty

Studies on the application of the death penalty by the American Bar Association in Pennsylvania and Ohio have both returned a negative verdict on the accuracy, effectiveness, and racial equity of the death penalty in those states. In Pennsylvania, only 7 of the 93 standards put forth by the ABA for the fair and effective execution of executions were met. Furthermore, "'an astonishing 98.6 percent' of jurors failed to understand at least some of their instructions." The Ohio report went further than its Pennsylvania counterpart, suggest a complete moratorium on executions in the state due to serious, fundamental flaws in the system. Just 4 of 93 ABA's standards were met by the Ohio system.

Both studies also found serious racial inequity in the application of capital punishment in their respective states. The Pennsylvania report flatly stated that blacks were sentenced to death more frequently than whites, and the Ohio report said that the application of the death penalty was "prone to racial and geographic imbalances."