Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
A look inside classes at an Ohio prison
This is the second in a series of stories about education opportunities in Ohio’s prisoners. Read the first story here. Dexter Bass earned his bachelor’s degree from Ashland University behind bars. The 60-year-old was sentenced to prison in 1990 for murder and was recently granted parole. Before prison, his highest academic attainment was graduating high […]
More incarcerated Ohioans could be able to take college courses through Pell Grants
This is the first in a series of stories about education opportunities in Ohio’s prisons. More incarcerated Ohioans could soon be eligible to take college classes while behind bars. Pell Grants for incarcerated students went into effect on July 1 — meaning an estimated 760,000 additional incarcerated people could be eligible for a Pell Grant […]
‘Reagan Tokes Law,’ extending prison sentences, constitutional, Ohio Supreme Court rules
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that a law named after an Ohio State University student who was murdered in 2017 and meant to extend prison sentences for those who commit crimes while incarcerated is constitutional. The law, called the “Reagan Tokes Law” allows courts to impose an “indefinite” sentence, with a minimum and maximum prison […]
Scrap tires and alcoholic bingo: The Ohio budget’s most obscure items
The new state budget allocates billions of dollars to necessary public services, but you have to flip to page 1,326 to find the part about buying to-go cocktails. Tucked between groundbreaking investments in broadband internet and children’s services, this provision lets Ohioans purchase drinks for “off-premises consumption,” so long as the drink is not any […]
Ohio’s statewide COVID-19 response failed incarcerated Ohioans
In just over the course of a year since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported, the United States now leads the world with the highest death toll from the virus, as the country surpassed 400,000 COVID-19 related deaths on Jan. 19, 2021. This is comparable to the number of people that died serving […]
‘Much worse than a cruise ship’: Prisoners’ lives at risk from COVID-19
WASHINGTON — More than 2 million people are incarcerated in the United States. That’s more people than there are living in major U.S. cities like Phoenix and Philadelphia. They’re particularly vulnerable to health risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. They live in close-quarters. Many are elderly or pregnant. Many also have pre-existing medical conditions that put them […]
Decarceration goals can and should be Ohio’s new normal
The United States has the largest incarceration rate in the world. If the average daily population of those held behind bars in the United States were a city, it would have a larger population than Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Dayton combined. While mass incarceration has always had devastating consequences for individuals, families, and communities, it […]
Ohio needs a systemic, statewide approach to keep incarcerated people safe from COVID-19
A recent Great Lakes poll shows that 80% of Ohioans approve of the job Gov. Mike DeWine is doing during the coronavirus pandemic. Large majorities support school closings, limits on public gatherings, and other measures the state has taken. What’s missing from DeWine’s response is a focus on the risks facing our incarcerated neighbors and […]
Nationwide study finds high ‘sexual victimization’ in Ohio, Dems and DeWine ask for more data
A recent study of self-reporting sexual abuse in the country’s juvenile corrections facilities yielded criticism of Ohio’s prison system and a call for more information. The United State Department of Justice recently released a survey on sexual victimization reported by youth in juvenile facilities for the year 2018. The report highlights a nationwide decline in […]