Ohio Supreme Court criminal justice system study

"In 2008, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, then-Supreme Court of Ohio Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer and state House and Senate leaders launched 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." The Supreme Court yesterday announced release of the report providing a brief summary of the preliminary findings of that project, which the Governor's working group will now start reviewing to the end of developing a policy framework for consideration by the General Assembly. ( See Report )

Three principal areas are indicated as being where the state could make improvements that could reduce crime and use existing resources in a more fiscally responsible manner:

• Short sentences for property and drug offenders are not effective at reducing recidivism and create a costly "revolving door."


• Community correction programs do not have clear criteria to inform the selection of program participants, making it difficult for these programs to be cost-effective tools for diverting people from prison and reducing crime.


• Ohio's probation system is a patchwork of independent agencies that do not have consistent policies.