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Updated 07.05.11 For decades, Ohio politicians sought
to be “tough on crime” by increasing criminal penalties. Now our courts are
overflowing and prisons designed to house 38,000 people hold almost 51,000. Meanwhile,
state and county budgets are strained by the resulting expenses and crime rates have
not declined.
What's happening in Ohio
Employment After
Conviction
Formerly incarcerated Ohioans face a number of challenges in the job market. Many
employers turn away prospective workers if they have a criminal history, even when
they are well-qualified, and the conviction is decades old and unrelated to their
ability to do the job.
The ACLU of Ohio recognizes that people are more than just a criminal case file, and
that all people should have a fair chance at employment. That is why we have joined
a coalition of central Ohio groups to form First Step to a Second Chance.
FSSC advocates on behalf of the formerly incarcerated to encourage city and county
employers to make their hiring process fair for all who apply. To read more about the
mission and work of FSSC, click here.
Reforming Ohio’s broken criminal justice
system
The Ohio legislature took an important first step toward fixing our bloated system in
passing House Bill
86. HB 86 made needed changes to the juvenile justice system and addresses Ohio's
overcrowded prison system by:
- Increasing the number of days prisoners can earn towards early release in
return for participating in educational and vocational training programs;
- Eliminating the crack-cocaine sentencing disparity;
- Eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for many low-level drug crimes;
- Increasing diversion programs for low-level drug offenders in lieu of conviction;
- Raising the threshold used in determining penalties in theft-related crimes; and
- Providing diversion programs for child support violators.
HB 86 enacts many of the commonsense reforms suggested in the ACLU of Ohio report,
"Reform Cannot Wait: A
Comprehensive Examination of the Cost of Incarceration in Ohio from 1991-2010.”
The legislation also begins to address some of the concerns the ACLU of Ohio highlighted
in "Overcharging, Overspending,
Overlooking: Cuyahoga County's Costly War on Drugs."
Prisons for Profit
In April 2011, the ACLU of Ohio released "Prisons for Profit: A look at prison privatization".
The report examines the problems faced by other states when they have privatized their
prisons system. While yielding little cost savings, privatization poses substantial
security and financial risks in communities that have housed them.
The ACLU also expressed concern
that private prisons could undermine other needed criminal justice reforms by
decreasing educational programming and not prioritizing reducing the inmate
population.
Debtor’s Prisons Alive and Well in Ohio
Incarcerating a person simply because he or she cannot afford to pay court costs and
fines is prohibited by state law and unconstitutional. The ACLU of Ohio has questioned one Erie County judge
about his practice of jailing defendants who cannot or do not pay fines or fees, and
is also investigating a pay-to-stay jail scheme in
Monroe County.
In October 2010, the ACLU released “In
For A Penny”, a startling new report that profiles five states —
including Ohio — that imprison people because they cannot pay fines. The report
highlights the negative consequences for budgets and public safety, noting that jailing
one person for 30 days costs more than $1500, causes disruptions in employment, and
can contribute to recidivism.
Evaluating criminal justice in Ohio
On July 26, 2010, the Council of State Governments released a report,
Justice Reinvestment in Ohio: Analyses of Crime, Community Corrections, and
Sentencing Policies.
The state of Ohio’s mental health
treatment system
The Columbus Dispatch reported on the near collapse of Ohio’s mental health
system and challenges it may face during 2011 budget cuts. Read the articles
here and here.
Resources
Visit our Juvenile Justice,
Police Practices, and
Racial Justice issues pages for more
information about our justice system.
Check out our Publications
page for more resources on criminal justice.
Justice
Policy Institute, Research on juvenile and criminal justice systems
Justice Reinvestment in Ohio: Analyses of Crime, Community Corrections, and Sentencing
Policies, Council of State Governments Report, July 2010
Making a Killing: How Prison Corporations Are Profiting From Campaign Contributions and
Putting Taxpayers at Risk, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees
Mothers Behind Bars, National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for
Human Rights, 2010
Pew Center
on the States, Corrections and public safety research and publications
Read criminal justice news releases and articles in our
News Center.
Browse our webcasts for criminal
justice-related programs:
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