COLUMBUS – Republicans, Democrats, one of the nation’s leading anti-tax crusaders, the American Civil Liberties Union and a best-selling author were among those who turned out to launch a new effort to reduce Ohio’s inmate population by giving the state’s criminal laws their first major overhaul in 44 years.
The U.S. Justice Action Network held a Thursday news conference (right) promoting efforts to find alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent crimes, keep people from returning to prison and help inmates find jobs once they’re out. The also testified before a committee rewriting Ohio’s criminal laws.
They were joined by Alison Holcomb of the ACLU’s Campaign for Smart Justice; Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Judith Lanzinger, and Piper Kerman, whose memoir of her time in a federal prison on an old drug charges, “Orange is the New Black” was adapted into an Emmy award-winning Netflix series.
The effort has the backing of Ohio Senate President Keith Faber (R-Celina), who has called for options to prison, especially for drug offenses.
“We will prosecute and punish serious, violent offenders to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. “No one is here today to say criminals should not be punished. We are here to say that not all crimes or criminals are equal, and we need to provide the prosecutorial, judicial and penal flexibility to make our justice system work more effectively.”
A former probation officer and attorney, Faber said Ohio’s prison system sits at 139 percent of capacity.
The 24-member Criminal Justice Recodification Committee, made up of judicial, legislative, law enforcement, and community representatives, will examine the Ohio Criminal Code for the first time since 1971 “to clarify, tighten, revise, or eliminate elements of the Criminal Code that are in need of updates,” Faber said.
The panel, chaired by Judge Fred Pepple of Auglaize County, will report to the General Assembly by Jan. 1, 2016.