Ohio courts often impose fines, fees, and other financial sanctions on people who are sentenced to prison, to be paid while they are incarcerated or when they are released. Currently, judges have broad discretion to set the timeline for payment, with no restrictions and relatively little guidance. This can create
Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on HB 338 This text was originally published as commentary. It was subsequently submitted as opponent testimony for the committee hearing on June 9, 2026. In December 2024 Officer Andrew Lansing was killed while working overtime on Christmas morning alone in the center of
State requires parents and families to pay costs of confinement Ohio families of justice-involved children face the strain of both family separation and financial penalties that deepen racial and economic disparities and perpetuate cycles of poverty. Of the many counterproductive and unfair financial sanctions used by the justice system, youth
Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on H.B. 296 Members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide interested party testimony on H.B. 296. My name is Ashley Braxton, and I am a researcher with Policy Matters Ohio — a nonprofit, non-partisan research institute working to create a
Amending the state constitution would secure Ohioans’ wins on Issue 2 In 2023, Ohioans passed Issue 2, which legalized recreational use of cannabis by people over 18, and required the use of “sin tax” revenue generated by the sale of recreational cannabis to support dispensaries’ communities, the social equity and
Andy’s Law would cut programs that reduce violence in prison
Provision makes Andy’s Law less likely to have its intended effect In December 2024 Officer Andrew Lansing was killed while working overtime on Christmas morning alone in the center of the prison yard at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe. Ross Correctional Institution is a mid to high security prison that