The first step is always admitting you have a problem.
Yesterday in Columbus, Ohio, I saw lawmakers do just that, launching what could be the to improve the state鈥檚 criminal justice system. Leaders from all sides of the political spectrum convened to celebrate the start of Ohio鈥檚 Recodification Committee, a group of judges, prison officials, criminal defense attorneys, mental health advocates, prosecutors, and others who will evaluate the entirety of Ohio鈥檚 entire criminal code and see what should be tightened up, revised, or eliminated. We don鈥檛 yet know what the result of this committee will be 鈥 they will provide recommendations to the full state legislature in the 2016 session 鈥 but we do know that this is an historic and potentially groundbreaking endeavor.
We also know that a majority of Ohioans and Americans are unhappy with our criminal justice systems. Our nation, founded in order to 鈥渟ecure the Blessings of Liberty,鈥 is also the world鈥檚 leading incarcerator, both by raw numbers and percentages of population. No matter how you slice that reality, it鈥檚 an abject failure of our founders鈥 effort to prove that freedom is the most important precondition to maximizing the human potential and achieving greatness.
Ohio has the seventh largest population of people behind bars in the nation. Its incarceration rates beat Cuba, Rwanda, and the Russian Federation. That kind of leadership and company is hard to celebrate, but those numbers create an opportunity: One in four new prisoners in Ohio this year will be for a drug offense while half of the people in prison are there for the first time.
Our challenge, and the challenge for the committee launched yesterday, is clear: Can we do something different here? Can we change our system in such a way that it is not exclusively focused on these individuals鈥 acts but looking at the potential to prevent first-time and repeat offenses through families, neighborhoods, communities, and government programs focused on solutions?
Nationwide, voters believe by a two-to-one margin that reducing the prison population will make us safer if we invest in crime prevention and rehabilitation efforts. Eighty seven percent agree that drug addicts and the mentally ill shouldn鈥檛 be in prison but rather in treatment facilities. We鈥檝e seen that reform efforts can work: , intensive , and preventive programs, like the , can deliver the crime reduction we all want without destroying lives and families. We can invest in better options here in Ohio and make it explicit in the criminal code that solutions are favored over incarceration and by rewarding the law enforcement and other service providers who focus on non-jail alternatives effectively in our communities.
There鈥檚 clear momentum for criminal justice reform, and the 老澳门开奖结果 is leading the efforts to make change in states and on the federal level. I鈥檓 proud to have joined some nonconventional allies in Columbus yesterday supporting the Buckeye State鈥檚 effort to create a justice system that reflects our hope in the future and not just our fears. But today begins the actual work through which lawmakers, judges, and advocates take a hard look at past successes and challenges to build a better Ohio that is more just.
Reform is on the way and the momentum to shift our justice system is turning to action. The real work here will begin when Ohio鈥檚 legislature hopefully implements meaningful change. And our work here at 老澳门开奖结果 continues as we try to spur others to take action. They say that as Ohio goes, so goes the nation; here鈥檚 to hoping that as a nation we can begin the process to change our justice system.