Ohio
Articles
07/12/2011 – Cleveland.com: “Northeast Ohio leaders embrace sentencing reform law during Gov. John Kasich visit,” by Mark Naymik
“Northeast Ohio community leaders publicly embraced Ohio’s new sentencing reform law Tuesday at an event with its chief cheerleader, Gov. John Kasich.”
| June 22, 2011: Senators Tim Grendell, Shirley Smithspeak and Bill Seitz urge support for House Bill 86 in the Ohio Senate. |
06/29/2011 – NewsTimes.com: “Ohio gov signs bill to shrink prison population,” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
“Gov. John Kasich signed a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing the inmate population by putting fewer nonviolent offenders behind bars and giving judges more sentencing options, moves that could save millions of dollars a year.”
06/24/2011 – Cincinnati.com: “Ohio should be both tough and smart on crime,” Editorial
“For several years, advocates of criminal-sentencing reforms have offered solutions for Ohio’s increasingly expensive, overcrowded prisons. Now, it appears the state is ready to put those reforms in place. That’s welcome news.”
06/23/2011 – Dayton Daily News: “Prison sentence reductions may save $1B,” by Laura A. Bischoff, Lynn Hulsey and Joanne Huist Smith
“Thousands of nonviolent Ohio prison inmates would have their sentences reduced under a bill passed by the state Senate on Wednesday in an effort to save the state nearly $1 billion in prison costs.”
| May 4, 2011: Representative Louis Blessing speaks in support of House Bill 86 in the Ohio House. |
05/27/2011 – Dayton Daily News: “Progress against crime transcends left-right debate,” Editorial
“Despite the recession, crime is down nationwide. Other “despites” might be added to that sentence: despite cutbacks in police staff and despite cutbacks in the number of people in prison, at least in some places.”
05/08/2011 – Ohio.com: “Smarter and safer,” Editorial
”... it was gratifying to see the House pass the criminal justice overhaul last week, ahead of the budget bill and on a strong bipartisan vote, 95-2.”
05/05/2011 – The Columbus Dispatch: “Sentencing overhaul would save state $78 million,” by Alan Johnson
“There’s work still to be done, but Ohio appears poised to enact a major criminal sentencing overhaul – with uncharacteristic bipartisan support.”
| May 4, 2011: Representative Tracy Heard speaks in support of House Bill 86 in the Ohio House. |
05/04/2011 – The Columbus Dispatch: “Ohio House passes bill to save $78 million in annual state prison costs,” by Alan Johnson
“A bill designed to save the state nearly $78 million annually on prison costs passed the House 95-2 today. House Bill 96 would divert non-violent offenders to community programs and give inmates credit off their sentences for participating in treatment and training.”
04/08/2011 – Ohio.com: “Delayed action,” Editorial
“Under ideal circumstances, the suggestion this week by county prosecutors to remove criminal sentencing reforms from Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget would deserve serious consideration. John Murphy, executive director of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association, prefers that the changes be considered in a separate bill.”
02/27/2011 – Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Bipartisan plan would reform Ohio’s criminal justice system,” Editorial
“If the polls are to be believed, the American public wants results from its elected leaders, not partisan bickering. Ohio lawmakers will soon have a chance to fulfill the public’s wish. Top officials in all three branches of Ohio government are supporting a new comprehensive plan to reform the state’s criminal justice system.”
02/11/2011 – Bucyrus Telegraph Forum: “Proposal would reduce inmates,” by Henry S. Conte
“The state’s most powerful judge, top Republican lawmakers and the prisons director support the general concepts behind the proposal. The center says the reforms could save $62 million over four years and help shrink the prison population by more than 4,500 inmates. A lawmaker who backed similar changes to Ohio’s sentencing laws last year said changes in state government bode well for the new version.”
02/10/2011 – Toledo Blade: “Get-tough stance not helping Ohio prison population,” Editorial
“A better strategy would save money by reversing the growth of Ohio’s prison population and using other resources more effectively, and would enhance safety by investing in corrections programs that work. Mr. Kasich and lawmakers should support legislation that will do these things.”
02/08/2011 – Columbus Dispatch: “Smarter justice-Lawmakers tackle reform of Ohio’s costly, inefficient criminal-justice system,” Editorial
“Ohio has made other efforts to overhaul its criminal system. Unlike an ill-conceived 2002 state ballot issue, which failed, this bill would not change the state constitution to mandate unaffordable spending on treatment programs. Nor would it slash jail time, creating a revolving door for unrepentant drug abusers instead of holding offenders accountable for their recovery. The state appears to have gotten it right this time: Lawbreakers, not citizens, should pay the high price for crime.”
02/04/2011 – Ohio.com: “Smarter on crime,” Editorial
“After more than two years of study and debate, an impressive consensus formed this week behind plans to overhaul Ohio’s criminal justice system. Without changes, funding already overcrowded prisons promises to strain a state budget facing a projected deficit of more than $8 billion.”
02/03/2011 – The Columbus Dispatch: “Treatment, not prison, now is looking good,” by Alan Johnson
“A proposed overhaul of Ohio’s criminal-justice system, ... supported by top officials in all three branches of government, contains elements that politicians and voters flatly rejected in the past: shortened sentences for inmates who complete certain programs in prison, and diverting nonviolent drug offenders to treatment instead of prison.”
02/02/2011 – WCPO: “Plan calls for probation instead of jail,” by Scott Wegener
“It’s not often you have a convicted felon and a police chief agreeing on anything, let alone the effectiveness of incarceration. Terry Jones and Steve Bailey both say the system isn’t working.”
02/02/2011 – Cincinnati.com: “Report: Change probation, save $62M,” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins
“Judges would be required to order probation instead of prison for offenders convicted of low-level felony crimes such as theft and drug abuse under a plan being announced Wednesday to reduce the state’s soaring prison population and save as much as $62 million.”
02/02/2011 – Dayton Daily News: “Ohio pushed to change sentencing laws to tamp down prison expenses,” by Laura A. Bischoff
“Ohio could save $62 million in the next four years and steer clear of spending $500 million more on prisons if state lawmakers move quickly to change sentencing laws and shore up the probation system, according to a report released Wednesday by the Council of State Governments.”
02/02/2011 – WCPO.com: “Plan calls for probation instead of jail,” by Scott Wegener
“It’s not often you have a convicted felon and a police chief agreeing on anything, let alone the effectiveness of incarceration. Terry Jones and Steve Bailey both say the system isn’t working.”
01/30/2011 – Dayton Daily News: “Sentencing reform has bipartisan push,” by Laura A. Bischoff
“As Gov. John Kasich struggles to balance Ohio’s $50-billion-a-year operating budget, he is looking to cut costs in the sprawling prison system, where one in four state employees work. One place to start is by reforming prison sentencing laws so that fewer low-level, nonviolent offenders end up in $24,000-a-year prison beds when they could be punished in less costly venues.”
12/12/2010 – The Columbus Dispatch: “Prison reform awaits Kasich: Changing overcrowded system won’t be easy,” by Alan Johnson
“Every weekday at the Correctional Reception Center at Orient, Ohio taxpayers welcome new “guests.” Some days, 20 prisoners arrive at the reception center south of Columbus; other times, as many as 150. Officials never know what to expect because counties don’t have to provide advance notice. In the 2010 fiscal year, 24,023 prisoners entered the system – 4,825 from Cuyahoga County alone. Nearly half of them will be released in a year or less.”
11/23/2010 – The Akron Beacon Journal: “A job for lame ducks: Rehabilitate lives by generating savings in the costly prison system,” Editorial
“Advocates of criminal sentencing reform are prodding legislators to act before the lame-duck session ends this year. They have a persuasive case, noting the bipartisan support for reform bills in the House and Senate, the substantial savings possible in the criminal justice system and the positive effects community-based care can have turning around the lives of low-level offenders.”
09/26/2010 – The Daily Record: “Commentary: Reinvestment of justice in Ohio,” by Martin Frantz
“In late 2008, Gov. Ted Strickland, Senate President Bill Harris, former House Speaker Jon Husted and the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer requested technical assistance from the Council of State Governments Justice Center to help develop a statewide policy framework to reduce spending on corrections and reinvest in strategies to increase public safety.”
08/12/2010 – The Akron Beacon Journal: “Prisoner of soaring costs: Will Ohio finally curb its expanding and expensive prison system?,” Editorial
“Ohio legislators have run out of reasons not to repair the state’s criminal justice system. Confronting crowded jails and prisons and the soaring costs of the system, lawmakers have stalled for more than a year on a bill that would target key contributing factors to the problems. Legislative leaders ordered a study, to be sure they had a firm grasp of the issues. They got it. The Justice Center of the nonpartisan Council of State Governments released a report last month that laid bare Ohio’s overburdened criminal justice system.”
08/04/2010 – The Columbus Dispatch: “Overhaul needed: Ohio’s prisons are bulging and reform is long overdue,” Editorial
“A recent study by the Council of State Governments that has been making the rounds of the Ohio legislature details some of the systemic problems that contribute to prison overcrowding and excessive spending.”
07/31/2010 – Dayton Daily News: “Ohio can’t keep locking everyone up,” Editorial
“Politicians and judges love to talk about locking up criminals and throwing away the key. There’s just one problem: When the offenses are minor, the cost for all that prison time adds up fast. There has to be a better way.”
07/28/2010 – The Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Ohio’s prisons full of low-level felons who would be better served on probation, study says,” by James F. McCarty
“CLEVELAND, Ohio—Cuyahoga County is a major contributor to a troubled criminal justice system that sends too many low-level criminals to costly prisons, a new study reports.”
07/28/2010 – Akron Beacon Journal: “Get smart on crime: A comprehensive analysis of the state’s criminal justice system highlights how to improve public safety and save money,” Editorial
“Early this year, lawmakers failed again to come to grips with necessary changes in the state’s criminal justice system. They did so despite overwhelming evidence that prison overcrowding would soon cost Ohio hundreds of millions it cannot afford. Fearful of appearing soft on crime, lawmakers chose the option of ordering another study.”
07/27/2010 – The Toledo Blade: “Ohio prison sentencing is studied Report questions costs for low-level offenders,” by Jim Provance
“COLUMBUS – A report released Monday reinforced what Ohio already knew: that it’s spending millions to imprison nonviolent inmates who won’t be there long enough to benefit from treatment and other rehabilitation programs.”
07/26/2010 – Dayton Daily News: “State probation, parole system needs overhaul, a report says,” by Laura A. Bischoff
“COLUMBUS — Ohio’s probation and parole system is a hodge-podge of costly and fragmented programs that would benefit from uniform standards and policies, according to a report released Monday, July 26.”
07/26/2010 – NBC4: “State Leaders Briefed On Criminal Justice Effectiveness: Three Recommendations Made To Make Ohio More Fiscally Responsible,” by Allison Wenger
“COLUMBUS, OH—State leaders were briefed on a new report from Council of State Governments(CSG) Justice Center that looked at how effective the criminal justice system in Ohio is.”
06/27/2010 – Columbus Dispatch: “Drastic changes might be needed to fill budget hole: Looming two-year, $8 billion shortfall could force state to undertake massive layoffs, raise taxes, or both,” by Jim Siegel
“COLUMBUS: State leaders could close half of the potential $8 billion two-year budget deficit starting in July 2011 by laying off state workers.”
01/12/2010 – Office of the Governor of Ohio Press Release: “State Leaders Announce Initiative to Analyze Corrections System and Enhance Public Safety Efforts,” Office of the Governor
“Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Moyer and state House and Senate leaders today announced the launch of an effort by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center and the State of Ohio to develop a data-driven strategy to reduce spending on corrections while improving public safety in Ohio.”