Columbus, OH – Robert Alt, president and chief executive officer of The Buckeye Institute, issued the following statement upon the introduction of legislation which will advance reforms that Buckeye has long championed to Ohio’s broken cash bail system.

“Ohio’s costly pretrial justice system has failed to keep Ohioans safe and to treat accused individuals fairly. The Buckeye Institute has long championed reforms to ensure that a decision to release an individual from jail pretrial is based upon public safety and to ensure the accused’s appearance, rather than upon his or her access to cash. The Ohio Supreme Court’s changes last year to Criminal Rule 46 represented a significant step forward, and the policies in this newly-introduced legislation codify important elements of that rule, like a presumption of release, and further advance pro-public safety and pro-due process reforms.

“Simply put, Ohio should not be in the business of jailing the impecunious and non-dangerous, while allowing the truly dangerous to buy their way out of jail.”

The Buckeye Institute has played a key role in securing reforms to Ohio’s broken cash bail system including the Ohio Supreme Court’s updated Criminal Rule 46, which took effect last summer. Buckeye’s widely read report on the subject—“Money Bail”: Making Ohio a More Dangerous Place to Live—outlined Ohio cases where the cash bail system has failed Ohioans. Buckeye’s follow-on report revealed that reforms to the cash bail system could save Ohio taxpayers an estimated $67 million per year.

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