Does Ohio have the death penalty?
Not used in practice
The death penalty remains in law, but executions are suspended (de facto moratorium).
Ohio is classified “Not used in practice” for the death penalty, as are 10 of the other 49 states and the District of Columbia. For the United States as a whole, the classification is “Retained / in use”.
Source
- Note
- In 2020, Governor Mike DeWine set an informal moratorium. The state will no longer use lethal injection, but state law does not specify any other method of execution.
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Read from the source’s state-by-state coverage; the topic is published only once hand-verified reference states match it.
Across the United States
- Retained / in use 16 states.
- Not used in practice 11 states, including Ohio.
- Fully abolished 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Nearby states
- West Virginia
- Fully abolished West Virginia abolished the death penalty in 1965.
- Virginia
- Fully abolished Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021.
- Kentucky
- Not used in practice The death penalty remains in law, but executions are suspended (by court order moratorium).
- Indiana
- Retained / in use The death penalty is legal and executions are not suspended.
- District of Columbia
- Fully abolished The District of Columbia abolished the death penalty in 1981.
- Michigan
- Fully abolished Michigan abolished the death penalty in 1847.
Other laws in Ohio
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Euthanasia
- Illegal
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Sex Work
- Illegal
- Gun Laws
- Permissive
- Cannabis
- Legal
The death penalty in the United States → · Which countries have the death penalty? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.