Because 90% of all prisoners in the United States are in state facilities, the work that states are doing to reduce their prison populations is crucial. Attempting to end mass incarceration necessitates realizing this is a situation requiring not one national solution, but fifty state solutions. Below are current state solutions that could be effectively modeled by other states for meaningful reform.
“Last year, Mr. Singleton began thinking more seriously about that question. He conceived of a project called Beyond Guilt, to emphasize that guilt is not an endpoint but the possible beginning of a “story of redemption.” The goal is to push for legislation to provide new avenues for early release, and to create a network of lawyers to take up individual cases.“
The New York Times
July 19, 2019
Read More“It is far too broad of a Constitutional amendment to provide directed and specific solutions for this problem. Constitutional amendments are not laws that can be amended. We will be stuck with this and its consequences. If Issue 1 passes, it will set us back. I’m not prone to hyperbole because I believe people want the facts. The fact is that most of the addicts I encounter and work with have expressed if it weren’t for the fear of incarceration, they never would have sought treatment, and many state the life they were leading was heading to death. This is not a political issue, it’s a matter of public safety. Please support your local criminal justice practitioners and treatment providers. Vote “No” on Issue 1.“
Delaware Gazette
November 2, 2018
Read More“Issue 1 would reduce Ohio’s bloated prison population, which has hovered around 130 percent capacity for years, and redirect the cost savings into drug treatment programs and community safety. People struggling with addiction should be sent to treatment, not prison. People who make one misstep while on probation deserve a second chance. Issue 1 will provide these opportunities, and in turn, these people can contribute to their families and local communities.“
Ohio Herald-Star
September 30, 2018
Read More“Issue 1 would reduce penalties for possessing and using drugs such as heroin, fentanyl, meth and cocaine. Under the proposed law, having those drugs would be misdemeanors and not felonies. Judges would also be prohibited from sentencing users to jail or prison unless it's their third or more conviction in two years.“
News 5 Cleveland
September 24, 2018
Read More"'This can’t be inhumane because we do it to our pets,' he said in defense of the proposal. Ludeman explained to a Toledo Blade reporter that he had seen many TV shows where fictional criminals were able to slip out of an ankle monitor to commit more crimes. He insisted that implanting microchips would be 'painless' and 'humane.'"
The Appeal
August 7, 2018
Read More"On Monday morning, more than 40 attorneys sent a letter to all the judges in the county saying they will not be accepting new cases until the county commissioners agree to a recommendation for a pay raise. The move comes after more than two months of negotiating with the commissioners....The letter says that there has been no increase in the fees since 1995 and that Licking County has the second lowest fees in the state, behind only Vinton County."
Columbus Dispatch
July 23, 2018
Read More