Updated 12.03.09 For decades, Ohio
politicians sought to be “tough on crime” by continually increasing
criminal penalties. Now our courts are overflowing and prisons designed
to house 38,000 people hold over
52,000. Meanwhile, state and county budgets are strained by the
resulting expenses and crime rates have not declined. Ohio officials are realizing
it is time to be “smart on crime.”
What's happening in Ohio
Reforming Ohio’s broken criminal justice system Senate Bill 22
would address Ohio's
over-crowded prison system by:
increasing the number of
days prisoners can earn each month towards early release;
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;
providing diversion programs for child support violators.
In addition to S.B. 22, the Ohio General Assembly considered adding criminal justice reform to the state budget bill,
but failed to take
action.
H.B. 386 also seeks to reform our broken criminal justice system.
Both Democrats and Republicans need to hear from their constituents to support the criminal reforms proposed in SB 22,
especially House Speaker Armond Budish and Senate President Bill
Harris.
Find your legislator's contact information.
Reducing wrongful convictions S.B. 77
and its companion
H.B. 99
would remedy three of the most significant causes of wrongful convictions. Proposed by the Ohio Innocence Project and supported by former Attorney General Jim Petro, the bill will:
expand inmates’ access to DNA testing and create stronger protocols to ensure evidence is properly preserved;
require that interrogations of some violent crime suspects be recorded;
establish procedures for unbiased eyewitness identifications.
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