TOLEDO, Ohio (WOWO) — Ohio has 105 inmates awaiting execution as the state continues a yearslong pause on carrying out death sentences, with the availability of lethal-injection drugs and legal challenges to the state’s execution process remaining central to the issue.

Ohio has carried out 56 executions since the state resumed capital punishment in 1981. The most recent execution took place in July 2018, according to the Ohio Legislative Service Commission. The state has not carried out an execution since.

The state’s current execution method is lethal injection. Ohio law calls for a death sentence to be carried out by administering a lethal dose of drugs until the person is dead.

The prolonged pause has left dozens of death sentences in limbo. According to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction figures cited in the report, 30 people on death row have execution dates, although those dates have repeatedly been pushed back as the state has been unable to move forward with executions.

The next execution currently scheduled is in 2027.

Among those with scheduled execution dates are Archie Dixon and Timothy Hoffner, whose cases originated in Lucas County. Douglas Coley, whose case is from Wood County, is scheduled for execution in 2028.

The delays are tied in large part to Ohio’s difficulty obtaining the drugs required for lethal injection. Former Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has repeatedly said the state cannot resume executions without a reliable supply of the drugs or another legally available execution method.

DeWine has also said his personal position on capital punishment has not changed.

“My position has not changed. I think we need to move beyond the death penalty. I’ve always felt like there were many things that were more important to keep people safe,” DeWine said.

DeWine has questioned whether capital punishment serves as an effective deterrent, pointing to the length of time that typically passes between a death sentence and an execution.

“It is taking 21 years to execute someone in the state of Ohio,” DeWine said.

The issue could become a significant policy question for the next Ohio governor. DeWine is leaving office, meaning the administration that takes over will have to determine how to approach the state’s continued execution pause.

The two major-party candidates for governor, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton, will also face questions about whether the state’s current approach to executions should continue.

The Ohio Legislature is separately considering whether to eliminate capital punishment altogether.

Senate Bill 134, introduced in March 2025, would abolish Ohio’s death penalty and address the use and public funding of lethal-injection drugs. The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 19, 2025, and remains listed as legislation introduced in the General Assembly.

A separate Senate Bill 133 also proposes abolishing the death penalty and changing the number of juror challenges in cases where a defendant could face life imprisonment.

The legislation has not become law, leaving capital punishment on the books while the state continues to struggle with carrying out executions.

DeWine has urged lawmakers to address the issue rather than leaving the state’s death penalty in its current uncertain state.

“This is something that needs to happen in the legislature and see where people are, and vote on it,” DeWine said.

Ohio’s death-row population has fluctuated over the years as convictions are overturned, sentences are changed and new death sentences are imposed.

The Ohio Legislative Service Commission reported that, as of Dec. 31, 2023, 119 individuals were on death row, accounting for 121 active death sentences. The report also said 56 people had been executed since Ohio reinstated capital punishment in 1981.

The death penalty debate is also playing out in Lucas County, where prosecutors are pursuing a capital case involving Darnell Jones.

Jones is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 13-year-old Kei’mani Latigue. He recently withdrew a mental-health-related claim, leaving him eligible to face the death penalty. His trial is expected to begin next year.

Because Jones has not been convicted, the allegations against him remain allegations, and the case will proceed through the criminal justice system before a jury determines whether he is guilty.

The Lucas County case illustrates that Ohio’s death-penalty system remains active even though executions themselves are not taking place.

For the 105 inmates currently awaiting execution, the state’s pause means the legal process surrounding their sentences continues while Ohio remains unable to carry out executions on its existing schedule.

The future of capital punishment in Ohio could ultimately depend on two separate decisions: whether the state can establish a legally viable way to resume executions and whether lawmakers choose to eliminate the death penalty entirely.