Columbus, OH – The Buckeye Institute issued the following statement upon the introduction of Senate Bill 341, sponsored by State Senator John Eklund (SD-18), which indicates the Senate’s willingness to take on difficult smart-on-crime policies.

“All across Ohio there are people struggling with drug addiction—people who would be better served by local rehabilitation than a stint in prison,” said Daniel J. Dew, a legal fellow with The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center. “Today, the Ohio Senate, led by President Larry Obhof and Senator John Eklund, demonstrated yet again that they are serious about improving the lives of Ohioans and making our streets safer.”

Dew continued, “While some label the bill as a response to Issue 1, Ohio policymakers and The Buckeye Institute have worked on criminal justice reform for years and have one of the best records in the nation on making our communities safer, cutting spending, and helping people become contributing members of society.”

In a brief on the unintended consequences of Issue 1, Dew wrote, “Issue 1 has many laudable policy goals and preferences. But those same goals and preferences are not the stuff of state constitutions…They are matters for the General Assembly and the Ohio Revised Code to visit and revisit as needed, not the architectural substructure of our state government. Proponents of Issue 1 have identified a worthy destination, but amending the Ohio constitution is the wrong way to get there.”

The Buckeye Institute is a leader on criminal justice reform and has built the nation’s best and most successful criminal justice reform efforts. Recognized with the Atlas Network’s inaugural North America Liberty Award for its achievements, no other think tank in America has achieved more consequential results to protect the rights of the accused, rehabilitate offenders, and reduce the cost to taxpayers of the criminal justice system than The Buckeye Institute.

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