This piece was originally published on Cleveland.com on June 28, 2026. A family dealing with Ohio’s juvenile legal system is already burdened by the emotional and financial toll it can take on all parties. Justice-involved children and their guardians should not be charged for their imprisonment as well. Yet Ohio
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
Someone to call. Someone to respond. Somewhere to go. Over the past few months, a variety of decisions have been impacting Cleveland’s crisis care continuum — some in the direction of progress, others not so much. Through the good, bad, ugly, and indifferent, advocates and impacted residents from all corners
After a plans for a 24-hour behavioral health crisis center in Cuyahoga County were nearly scuttled due to funding concerns, a new agreement could resuscitate the project — if the county’s Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board approves it.* Bree Easterling, Policy Matters Senior Project Coordinator for
Federal and state policies already harming Ohioans, with more to come Federal policies restricting the rights of trans+ people and veterans overlap with spending cuts driven by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), compounding the harm done to trans+ veterans. State legislators’ decision to use the Ohio budget to
President Trump made restricting the rights of trans+ people[1] one of the highest priorities of his second term. On the first day of his new administration, the president banned federal funding from being used to “promote gender ideology,” which the White House defines as “replac[ing] the biological category of sex
Chairman Ghanbari and members of the Homeland Security Committee, thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in support of Senate Bill 37. My name is Bree, and I am a Social Justice Outreach and Organizing Specialist at Policy Matters Ohio. At Policy Matters Ohio, we believe in working collaboratively
Mobilizing to decriminalize poverty In September, 28, 2024, Ohioans affected by debt-related driver’s license suspensions gathered in Cleveland to work with and hear from advocates, organizers, and State Representative Darnell T. Brewer about new legislation that would limit the use of suspensions for an array of offenses. The summit featured
Correction (March 22, 2024) The original version of this comment incorrectly stated the share of participants in a 2022 study who had, within five years of transitioning, transitioned back to the sex they were assigned at birth. The study found just 2.5% of participants “de-transitioned.” The full study is available
In Circleville, Ohio on July 4, 2023, Jadarrius Rose was severely injured after a police officer loosed a K9 on him despite repeated warnings not to release the dog. Rose called 911 and told the dispatcher that he feared for his life during the police chase that began after he
When we call for help, we want assurance that whoever arrives on the scene will make the situation better, not worse. How law enforcement responds to emergency calls has made public safety a priority in many communities. Residents, advocates and even service providers have begun looking closely at new ways
Youth pay-to-stay fees have got to go
This piece was originally published by the Fines and Fees Justice Center as part of Youth Justice Action Month 2026. Of the many counterproductive and unfair financial sanctions used by the justice system, youth “pay-to-stay” fees, which require children and families to pay for their stays in detention or placement,