Columbus, OH – After Ohio voters in November 2018 soundly rejected a criminal justice reform ballot initiative known as Issue 1, both proponents and opponents of the initiative proclaimed their commitment to enacting at least some of its elements through the legislative process. Now, one year later, the story of reform is still in development, with the Ohio General Assembly considering a number of criminal justice reform proposals but no changes enacted into law. Meanwhile, significant sentencing and prison reforms were enacted at the federal level, which has helped propel state-level reforms in other states.
 
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. 

Panel 1: Past Criminal Justice Reforms in Ohio

Panelists:

• Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Ohio Supreme Court
• Daniel Dew, The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center
• Shakyra Diaz, Alliance for Safety and Justice
• State Representative Bill Seitz
• Louis Tobin, Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association

Moderator:

• Sara Andrews, Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission

Panel 2: Future of Criminal Justice Reform in Ohio

Panelists:

• Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor, Ohio Supreme Court
• Gary Daniels, ACLU of Ohio
• State Senator John Eklund
• Dr. Mark Hurst, Ohio Department of Health
• State Senator Larry Obhof
• State Representative Phil Plummer

Moderator:

• Doug Berman, Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, Ohio State Moritz College of Law

Luncheon Speech: Governor Mike DeWine's Vision for Criminal Justice Reform in Ohio

Speaker: Andrew Wilson, senior advisor, criminal justice policy, Office of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine

Panel 3: Criminal Justice Reform Efforts at the National Level

Panelists:

• Douglas Berman, Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, Ohio State Moritz College of Law
• Holly Harris, Justice Action Network
• Vikrant Reddy, Charles Koch Institute
• Jocelyn Rosnick, ACLU of Ohio

Moderator:

• Daniel Dew, The Buckeye Institute’s Legal Center

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