Recent testimony by veteran Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins before an Ohio General Assembly committee reminded Ohioans that the state’s death penalty law has languished on life support for too many years now.

Yes, the death penalty remains on the books, and yes, 122 men and one Howland woman await their fate on death row.

But no, justice has not been served. Those inmates have been waiting an awful long time; some have died of natural causes. Since the current capital punishment law was adopted in 1981, only 56 of 341 death sentences have been carried out. In the past five years, zero executions have taken place. That’s a disheartening track record, particularly for those seeking long-delayed delivery of a deliberative jury’s just and well reasoned verdict.

The delays result from Gov. Mike DeWine’s moratorium on executions after problems cropped up when attempting to use common execution drugs here and in other states. Current law, however, permits only lethal injections as Ohio’s method of execution. Further, DeWine foresees no executions at least through the end of his second term in 2027.

Amid that background, a disheartened Watkins, the longest-serving county prosecutor in the state, testified in Columbus last month to oppose Senate Bill 101 that would add Ohio to the list of 23 other states in abolishing the death penalty

He pleaded passionately to state legislators to keep capital punishment firmly intact.

“This state needs to have a big stick for the worst of the worst,” Watkins told them. “The (state’s) death penalty law is constitutional. It has been carried out 24 times (in 2024) by eight other states. Our law needs to be enforced. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Attorney General Dave Yost adds poignant perspective to Watkins’ plea: “The bottom line: Ohio’s death penalty is a farce and a broken promise of justice – and it must be fixed.”

From our perspective, it appears as if state House and Senate members lack the political will to fix what Yost most accurately calls “a broken system.”

After all, the hearing last month on the death penalty abolition bill was only the third such session since the legislation was introduced 20 months ago.

Legislators could opt, as several other states have done, to adopt an alternative form of capital punishment, such as electrocution, lethal gas, hanging and even firing squad.

If for no other reason, lawmakers should act in the name of fiscal responsibility. A state estimate shows the cost of caring for death row inmates is five times higher than the cost of care for those sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole.

Another major reason to act expeditiously lacks any numeric price tag. The emotional turmoil endured by families seeking justice for decades for their murdered loved ones is compounded by the seeming lack of any hope in sight for closure.

Consider the case of the Mahoning Valley’s Danny Lee Hill Jr., a poster boy for what ails capital punishment.

Hill, of Warren, has been on Death Row for 38 years for his conviction in the rape, torture and murder of 12-year-old Raymond Fife. He’s filed more than 25 appeals in his successful effort to delay death. Just last week, the Ohio Supreme Court agreed to hear yet another Hill appeal, thereby likely delaying his scheduled 2026 execution even longer.

Watkins highlighted that notorious Mahoning Valley case in his testimony last month and focused on Raymond’s mother, now in her 80s, who remains passionate in her pursuit of justice for her murdered son. “Even if our quest does not end, Miriam Fife lives to see justice, and she still has a smile on her face … she realizes the journey is more important than the result,” Watkins told committee members.

The prosecutor also recommended that legislators let Ohioans decide the future of capital punishment themselves in a statewide referendum. “I don’t believe that the citizens of Ohio should not have that big stick in its arsenal unless the people vote on it,” Watkins said.

As the divisive debate rages on, one thing is clear. Ohio should not allow the death penalty’s state of limbo to endure much longer. It’s costly to Ohio taxpayers and it’s insensitive to heartbroken survivors of victims.

That means it’s time for the Legislature to act: Abolish capital punishment, put the question to a vote of all state residents or adopt other means to ensure justice delayed no longer is justice denied.