Daniel J. Dew, a legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, submitted public comments on the Ohio Supreme Court’s proposed changes to Criminal Rule 46, which governs how Ohio treats people who have been accused of a crime but are awaiting trial. Dew outlined changes to the rule that would “further the commission’s stated goals” as outlined in the Task Force to Examine the Ohio Bail System’s report.

Daniel J. Dew, legal fellow with The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, testified Tuesday before the Ohio House Criminal Justice Subcommittee on Criminal Sentencing on policies that will increase public safety and reduce the state’s prison population. In his testimony, Dew noted the strides Ohio has made to reform its criminal justice system and he discussed the need for Ohio to reform its drug sentencing laws and outlined how expanding access to “earned credit” would enhance public safety.

On November 6, The Buckeye Institute, along with the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center at The Ohio State University, and the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission hosted a forum to examine the past and future outlook of criminal justice reforms in the state of Ohio and explore the state of criminal justice reform at the national level. 
 

Daniel J. Dew, legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, testified Wednesday before the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee on the policies in House Bill 263, which reduce needless occupational licensing restrictions that make it harder for ex-offenders to find jobs after they are released from prison. In his testimony, Dew said that narrowly tailored restrictions “would help Ohio grant more licenses to worthy applicants while protecting public safety.”

Daniel J. Dew, legal fellow in The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, submitted public comment on the Ohio Supreme Court’s proposed changes to Criminal Rule 46, which governs how Ohio treats people who have been accused of a crime but are awaiting trial. In his comments, Dew praised Ohio’s Supreme Court and noted that the proposed change would make “clear that financial conditions ‘shall be related solely to the defendant’s risk of non-appearance,’” in court and not used as a punishment for people who don’t have enough money to be released while they await trail.

In the Akron Beacon Journal, Buckeye’s Daniel Dew and the ACLU of Ohio’s Jocelyn Rosnick look at the need for drug sentencing reform, writing, “Experience and a growing body of research show that hefty mandatory prison sentences do not have the deterrent effect on drug use that was once presumed. A call for life-saving treatment for people struggling with addiction combined with close supervision within their communities is slowly replacing the ‘tough on crime’ mantra of the 1980s and 1990s.”

In The Columbus Dispatch, Buckeye’s Daniel Dew looks at the need for bail reform and the work of the Ohio Supreme Court’s Bail Reform Task Force, which he is a member of. In his op-ed, Dew writes that the work of the task force, “mark[s] the beginning, not the end of Ohio’s journey toward a fairer, safer criminal justice system. Lawmakers can and should do more by changing Ohio law to specify that the ability to access money — cash bail — cannot be used to address public safety concerns.”

In the Daily Caller, Buckeye’s Daniel Dew and Mackinac’s Jason Hayes look at the negative impact of closing Enbridge Energy’s Line 5, writing, “Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel campaigned on shutting down an oil pipeline those of us in the state know as ‘Line 5,’ an important pipeline that transports crude oil and natural gas liquids to Michigan, Ohio and parts of Ontario. Now, she’s now betting on our state’s courts to help fulfill her misguided campaign pledge.”

Daniel J. Dew, a legal fellow at The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center, testified Wednesday before the Ohio Senate Judiciary Committee on the policies in Senate Bill 3, which would safely reduce Ohio’s prison population by ensuring those suffering from addiction receive treatment instead of a prison cell. In his testimony, Dew noted that “Ohio stands among the nation’s leaders in looking for commonsense policies that will keep our neighborhoods safe while ensuring that non-violent offenders do not overrun our prisons or our courts.”

The Buckeye Institute testified before the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee on the policies in House Bill 1, which will make it easier for people to receive treatment for drug addiction rather than receiving a criminal conviction. “As Ohio continues to reform its criminal justice system, its record-sealing policies, and its treatment in lieu of conviction protocols, our citizens who have paid their debts to society will see more doors open for them as they begin their careers and start their families.”