Columbus, OH – Daniel J. Dew, legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, issued the following statement on the passage of Senate Bill 66, sponsored by senators John Eklund (R-18) and Charleta Tavares (D-15). The bill now awaits Governor John Kasich’s signature.

“Today, with the passage of Senate Bill 66, Ohio took another step forward to help our fellow citizens rebuild their lives. These new policies will help Ohioans, who have committed low-level offenses and often suffer from addiction or mental health issues, get the treatment they need, and, after repaying their debt to society, will enable them to remove the modern-day scarlet letter of a criminal record that is a barrier to employment, housing, and education,” said Daniel J. Dew, legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center. “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of senators Eklund and Tavares, Senate President Larry Obhof (R-22), as well as Representative Nathan Manning (R-55), more Ohioans will have the ability to provide for themselves and their families.”

Among other things, Senate Bill 66 changes the purposes of criminal sentencing to include rehabilitation, expands opportunities for defendants to be placed in treatment programs, and gives judges more discretion to seal criminal records for people who have shown a commitment to staying on the straight and narrow.

“I want to thank The Buckeye Institute for its help in the process. With Sub. Senate Bill 66 Ohio takes significant, purposeful steps forward in our efforts to promote the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into society,” said Senator John Eklund, one of the bill’s primary sponsors. “Many offenders clearly need treatment more than they need prison, and can be more effectively punished and rehabilitated in alternative corrections facilities.”

Eklund continued, “By expanding the availability of alternatives to prison, promoting treatment for those who need it, and broadening opportunities for ex-offenders to have their records sealed, this bill will reduce costs and recidivism, and enhance the role our criminal justice system plays in keeping us safe while ensuring a just society.”

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