Ohio is looking to overhaul its criminal code for the first time since 1974, and the recommendations made by a senate committee could release more than 3,000 inmates over the next year, according to Monday reports.
Ohio’s Criminal Justice Re-codification committee deliberated on the changes for two years. The resulting criminal code recommendations would place a cap on state prison populations at 47,000. The state currently houses more than 50,000 inmates, the Columbus Dispatch reported Monday. The changes would allow the state’s parole boards to release 500 “low-level offenders” per month until the population is in compliance.
The committee recommended some increased penalties, however, calling for inmates to have time added to their sentences for bad behavior in prison.
“So let’s say you’re sentenced to 10 years for aggravated assault, and then nearly kill someone in prison, you could be sentenced to an additional 5 years,” the office of Ohio state Senator Larry Obhof told TheDCNF.
The committee also recommended expanding drug treatment programs as an alternative to prison, reducing added penalties for committing a crime while in possession of a firearm, and raising the felony theft threshold to $2,500.
“Through many meetings and a lot of hard work, this group has created a document that will put Ohio on the cutting edge of criminal justice, rehabilitation, and corrections issues,” GOP Sen. Matt Huffman said in a statement.
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