DEAR EDITOR:

The recent article about Attorney General Dave Yost’s death penalty report leaves out an important truth: his own report lists many reasons for moving beyond the death penalty.

Yes, the AG is right that the death penalty process is lengthy and involves more appeals than non-death cases. But those appeals aren’t optional — they’re required by the courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court. And with more than 200 death-row exonerations in the U.S. — including 11 in Ohio — who would seriously argue we should rush that process?

I know families who have lost loved ones to murder and did not want the death penalty pursued, yet they were forced to endure it anyway. What the AG is essentially saying is: “Justice must be done my way.” That kind of thinking is exactly why we’re stuck with a broken system that serves no one.

ERIN BAUN

Poland