Editing Joe Deters (section)

==Political positions==
Throughout his tenure, Deters has gained a reputation for being a “tough on crime” prosecutor, believing in strict punishments for violent crime, including the death penalty. He has maintained this stance, even after a Vatican official rebuked him, a Roman Catholic, for pursuing the death penalty for serial killer [[Anthony Kirkland]], who killed two adult women and two young girls between 2006 and 2009.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Coolidge |first1=Sharon |title=Deters unswayed after Jesuit leader's rebuke on death penalty |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2018/08/20/vatican-priest-embarrassed-scandalized-prosecutor-deters-death-penalty-stance/1045682002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref> Responding to the official, Deters said:

{{quote| My dear friends who are priests don't understand what we're dealing with. There is evil in this world and there comes a point where society needs to defend itself.}}

He has repeated that he was elected to uphold Ohio law, which includes the death penalty. To critics, he states, “If the citizens of Ohio want the law changed, they should contact their state representative and let him or her know. I have no quarrel with that.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thompson |first1=Ann |title=Average Cost of Death Penalty in Hamilton County is Over $1 Million, Group Finds |url=https://www.wvxu.org/post/average-cost-death-penalty-hamilton-county-over-1-million-group-finds#stream/0 |website=WVXU |date=8 December 2020 |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>

In July 2018, Deters said he wanted the state to bring back [[death penalty]] by firing squad amid complaints about lethal injection.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-prosecutor-joe-deters-bring-back-firing-squads-for-executions/|title=Prosecutor: Bring back firing squads for executions|website=[[CBS News]] |date=13 July 2018 }}</ref>

However, since assuming office, Deters has also supported [[diversion program]]s, aiming to help “low-level, nonviolent offenders avoid jail time, find rehabilitation, and get their lives back on track.”<ref>{{cite web |last1=Deters |first1=Joe |title=As prosecutor, I have the courage to do what is right. |url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/2020/10/28/deters-prosecutor-have-courage-do-what-right/6048416002/ |website=Cincinnati Enquirer |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>  In 2010, he helped establish the Hamilton County Drug Court – the first in the state of Ohio. Other programs his office have sponsored include Mental Health Court, Juvenile Diversion Program, and CHANGE Court, a specialized court serving those charged with prostitution and related offenses.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography of Joseph T. Deters |url=https://hcpros.org/about-the-prosecuting-attorneys-office/biography-of-joseph-t-deters/ |website=Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Joseph T. Deters |access-date=12 July 2021}}</ref>