Ohio
Overview
In 2008, Governor Ted Strickland, Senate President Bill Harris, then-House Speaker Jon Husted, and Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moyer requested technical assistance from the Council of State Governments Justice Center (“Justice Center”) to help develop a statewide policy framework to reduce spending on corrections and reinvest in strategies to increase public safety.
From 1998 to 2004 Ohio’s prison population declined, but in the last three years, it has climbed 14 percent, from 44,270 in 2005 to a new all-time high of 50,371 in 2008. Between FY 2000 and FY 2008, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) budget climbed 18 percent, an increase of approximately $239 million. If existing policies remain unchanged, according to a prison population projection the ODRC has released, the prison population is expected to grow 11 percent over the next ten years. If the population increases as projected, $925 million in additional cumulative spending will be needed to increase the capacity of the prison system. These estimates include $424 million in construction costs and $501 million in annual operating costs.
The Justice Reinvestment Initiative will provide Ohio policymakers with in-depth analysis of criminal justice data to determine why the prison population is increasing and where opportunities exist to increase public safety. To incorporate perspectives and recommendations from across the criminal justice system, the Justice Center will engage stakeholders through focus groups, site visits, and personal interviews.
To guide the Justice Center’s analyses of the state’s criminal justice system and development of policy options, the state has established a work group co-chaired by Senator Bill Seitz (R-Green Township) and Representative Mike Moran (D-Hudson). Members represent both parties and all three branches of state government, including the two chambers of the General Assembly. The work group will review data analyses from the Justice Center and develop a legislative package to address the projected growth in Ohio’s prison population, generate savings and reinvest in strategies to increase public safety.