Death as bargaining chip? Ohio prosecutor slammed

[katydidit17]

http://www.correctionsone.com/capita...cutor-slammed/

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Within days of a drug-related slaying in suburban Cleveland, six men were indicted on charges that carried the possibility of a death sentence. Six months later, all had been allowed to plead to lesser charges, including four who received probation and never went to prison.
In short, the men quickly went from facing the possibility of being strapped to a gurney and having 5 grams of pentobarbital injected into their veins, to prison sentences more typical for robbers and thieves.
"It probably was a negotiating tool," said defense attorney Reuben Sheperd, who represented defendant Alex Ford. "You'll be more motivated than you were in other circumstances."
Such scenarios are typical in the county home to Cleveland, where prosecutor Bill Mason pursues dozens of offenders on capital charges each year at added expense to taxpayers and at the risk of some defendants ending up on death row for charges that would be minor elsewhere, even as the number of death penalty prosecutions plummets in Ohio and nationwide, according to an analysis of records by The Associated Press.

[scoopster]

yep this is why prosecutors want to keep the death penalty on the books...excellent article

[Philsbaby542012]

Makes me sick to my stomach....no prison time for some? I think of my baby who is now in the sydtem and its not justice. This system is more corrput as the days progress.

[katydidit17]

And to see that this is a new "adventure" for you.....just wait, you will need a vomit bag