sen. john eklund
Senate approves bill prohibiting death penalty for mentally ill
Ohio Senators approved a bill Wednesday that would prohibit a convicted murderer from being sentenced to death if they suffered from a serious mental illness at the time of the killing. The near-unanimous, bipartisan vote marks the next step in a years-long legislative effort to exempt those with certain mental illnesses from death row. The […]
Judge and father make the case for criminal sentencing reform bill
This is the hardest time of year for Charles “Chip” Jenkins. The holiday season makes him think of his son, Alex. “I used to enjoy Christmas,” the Medina County native said, his voice drifting off. “But now? It’s just different.” Alex died of an overdose five years ago at the age of 26. Jenkins now […]
Senators reverse course on criminal reform bill amendment
ACLU of Ohio pledges support once again on SB 3 Members of the Judiciary Committee unanimously decided to strip an amendment from Senate Bill 3 that had included stricter penalties for drug offenses under certain conditions. Those penalties came from adding language from the separate Senate Bill 55. Some proponents of SB 3 had responded […]