A fight is underway in Ohio to do away with the state's death penalty law. If Senate Bill 101 is passed, Ohio's long standing death penalty law will be abolished.

The bill would make capital crimes, which make it possible to give the death penalty, a sentence of life without parole.

Nicki Antonio, Ohio State Senator, is one of the sponsors of the bill. She said the death penalty process is expensive and does not stop crime.

“The death penalty is not a deterrent to crime. It's expensive to keep people out of the general population. It's expensive when it comes to the appeals that are over and over. There’s a human toll,” said Antonio.

Trumbull County prosecutor Dennis Watkins spoke out against Senate Bill 101 to the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee.

“I would hate to be in the state of Ohio where these heinous crimes are committed, and there isn't the ultimate penalty,” said Watkins. 

Antonio has been working on the bill for years, and said the death penalty process is difficult for the victims’ families.

“The reality is that it victimizes them over and over again as we go through the appeal process. I have heard from many families. And the bottom line is no matter what, it doesn't bring back their loved one,” said Antonio.

Lawmakers backing the bill, like Ohio State Senator Bill DeMora, feel the death penalty brings up moral dilemmas. 

“A lot of people have been exonerated in the past 10, 15 years that were found guilty of a death penalty crime, but in fact didn't do that crime because of DNA evidence. And if one person is put to death that was innocent, that's one too many,” said DeMora.

Watkins feels the death penalty law is in place for a reason, and should not be removed without the people's vote.

“I don't believe that the citizens of Ohio should not have that big stick in its arsenal, unless the people vote on it,” said Watkins. “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. There is good reason to have the death penalty in this state. And this state needs to have a big stick for the worst of the worst.”

It's been more than six years since an execution took place in the state, because of issues getting the drugs for lethal injection.

“We have a drug cocktail that we are not allowed to use because manufacturers of the drugs said our drugs were created to save lives. They were not created to take lives away. And you do not have permission,” said Nicki Antonio, Ohio State Senator.

Should the practice ever resume, three men from the Mahoning valley are among the many sitting on death row.