Ohio’s use of the death penalty has seen a steady increase in recent years, rising from two executions in 2007 to five in 2009 to eight in 2010. Of the 15 inmates executed during the past four years, eight were white and seven were black.
A federal judge stayed an execution in Ohio over the summer out of concern about the process the state uses for its lethal injections, which involves a switch to the drug pentobarbital. The chief justice of the state's Supreme Court is now reviewing the matter.
By law, Ohio excludes public viewings of executions.
