New Prison Reforms Signed into Law By Disliked, Hated Ohio Governor John Kasich-Makes Right Move
Posted: Sunday, July 03, 2011
by Steve Kovacs
The Kovacs Perspective
I just completed teaching a corrections course at the career college I instruct at. During our classes we spent a good amount of time discussing ways to improve corrections in our State of Ohio and Nationwide. Just a few days before the quarter ended for us and finals were looming for the students, I found out that Ohio Governor John Kasich was about to sign major sweeping changes into Ohio’s corrections system. And interestingly, many of the great changes that were about to be initiated were brought up in our classes way before any of us new that they were in the works. Wow! My students ideas were so on target as to what would work they very closely mimicked Ohio’s new changes. This goes to show what I know to be true that students are much smarter than many teachers give them credit for. Being prodded and getting the students engaged brought out great ideas in how we can help our hurting corrections system.
The particulars of the changes in Ohio are listed here:
• Generally requires judges to sentence nonviolent fourth- and fifth-degree felony offenders to alternative facilities, such as community-based correctional facilities and halfway houses, rather than prison.
• Allows the release of nonviolent felons who did not commit a sexually oriented offense if they have served more than 80 percent of a prison term of one year or more. First- and second- degree felons released under this provision would be put on parole and monitored with a GPS device.
• Increases the threshold -- from $500 to $1,000 -- for theft offenses to be considered a felony.
• Provides an alternative to prison for felony offenses for not paying child or spousal support.
• Eliminates the distinction between criminal penalties for drug offenses related to crack cocaine and powder cocaine. New punishments for cocaine offenses reflect a middle ground between the two current penalties.
• Expands an earned credit system in which inmates can shave days off their sentences. Certain prisoners could earn up to five days of credit per month for completing education and rehabilitation programs. The old system permitted only one day of credit per month. Sex offenders and violent felons would not be able to shorten their terms, and no prisoner could reduce a sentence by more than 8 percent.
• Requires the state's prisons system to review the cases of inmates who are 65 or older and eligible for parole -- paving the way for a new parole hearing and possible release.
Someone had to have the courage to make sweeping changes in corrections in the country. Governor Kasich is disliked by many people in Ohio because he is trying to make changes in public employee workers rights. Dislike is probably too light of a word. Hated is probably closer to the truth regarding Kasich. However, that issue aside, and looking at this issue on its own, Kasich did very well, even though there are detractors. Some feel that it is too prisoner friendly and not law and order enough. I consider myself a law and order kind of guy but we must look to help our people, even those who have careened out of control, not only lock them up. Simply locking them up is not a solution to stop the recidivism for most prisoners. These changes are on the correct path for them to break the cycle or stop it before it ends up behind prison walls. You simply cannot lock everyone up. Of course, many must be locked up and in some cases the key should be tossed into the middle of the Atlantic, however, workable solutions and assistance is the path to most people’s way out of the correction system. This bill is definitely in the right direction.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
• Generally requires judges to sentence nonviolent fourth- and fifth-degree felony offenders to alternative facilities, such as community-based correctional facilities and halfway houses, rather than prison.
• Allows the release of nonviolent felons who did not commit a sexually oriented offense if they have served more than 80 percent of a prison term of one year or more. First- and second- degree felons released under this provision would be put on parole and monitored with a GPS device.
• Increases the threshold -- from $500 to $1,000 -- for theft offenses to be considered a felony.
• Provides an alternative to prison for felony offenses for not paying child or spousal support.
• Eliminates the distinction between criminal penalties for drug offenses related to crack cocaine and powder cocaine. New punishments for cocaine offenses reflect a middle ground between the two current penalties.
• Expands an earned credit system in which inmates can shave days off their sentences. Certain prisoners could earn up to five days of credit per month for completing education and rehabilitation programs. The old system permitted only one day of credit per month. Sex offenders and violent felons would not be able to shorten their terms, and no prisoner could reduce a sentence by more than 8 percent.
• Requires the state's prisons system to review the cases of inmates who are 65 or older and eligible for parole -- paving the way for a new parole hearing and possible release.
Someone had to have the courage to make sweeping changes in corrections in the country. Governor Kasich is disliked by many people in Ohio because he is trying to make changes in public employee workers rights. Dislike is probably too light of a word. Hated is probably closer to the truth regarding Kasich. However, that issue aside, and looking at this issue on its own, Kasich did very well, even though there are detractors. Some feel that it is too prisoner friendly and not law and order enough. I consider myself a law and order kind of guy but we must look to help our people, even those who have careened out of control, not only lock them up. Simply locking them up is not a solution to stop the recidivism for most prisoners. These changes are on the correct path for them to break the cycle or stop it before it ends up behind prison walls. You simply cannot lock everyone up. Of course, many must be locked up and in some cases the key should be tossed into the middle of the Atlantic, however, workable solutions and assistance is the path to most people’s way out of the correction system. This bill is definitely in the right direction.
Source: Ohio Legislative Service Commission, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Sir, what an article? So so informative...we rarely write on these matters...Thanks for the information. The reformation is great...Regards, ChiradeepThanks Chiradeep,
I appreciate your words very much.
Steve
The United "Gates" of America. More laws than Carter's got little liver pills. Where the only thing that stands between individual freedom and liberty is a $5000 suit on a $2000 an hour lawyer and the amount of contributions made to the judge's campaign for reelection that is hearing your case.Ha-ha- yes, it has gotten crazy hasn't it.
Steve
Good information Steve. My chief concern, however, about current prison reform is the on-going privatization of our system. It somewhat incentivizes incarceration and makes profit, not rehabilitation, the bottom line. Thanks again for writing this.Thanks Ed,
I agree with you that privatization can mean the bottom line/dollar means more than anything and that is a bad thing. They need to have standards that would need to be monitored rigorously.Steve
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