Parole getting harder to come by

Apr. 16, 2012, Port Clinton News Herald

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

Ohio's longest-serving prisoners are finding it increasingly difficult to get out on parole, an opportunity not even afforded most of those sent to prison since 1996.

In 2011, just 7 percent of the 1,918 inmates getting release consideration hearings were paroled. This compares to 20 percent of the 2,121 inmates getting hearings the previous year. In years before that, the number was closer to 50 percent.

The drop in release rates comes as Ohio officials strive to decrease the prison population despite the 1996 sentencing law which ended parole for any future sentence.

Columbus defense attorney Barry Wilford said these are the toughest times he's known to be an inmate facing the board, because the board has gotten tougher. Wilford is also the Public Policy Director for the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

But JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said that after 16 years all the inmates likely to be paroled have been released already, leaving behind 3,200 of the state's worst inmates to cycle through the process again and again.

Read more in the Port Clinton News Herald.

Eyes on secured units after man's escape

Apr. 13, 2012, Newark Advocate

By JESSICA ALAIMO
CentralOhio.com

HEATH -- Ohio nursing homes don't have to accept potentially dangerous and violent patients like the man who escaped from a secured unit in a Heath facility Thursday, forcing schools to close and putting residents on edge.

John J. Stroud, 53, was found in Heath and taken into custody Thursday night.

The Heath Nursing Care Center could have refused care for Stroud if staff didn't think they could provide the necessary level of security, said Jane Straker, a senior research scholar at Miami University's Gerontology Center.

Locked units are common in nursing homes across the state, but they are not for prisoners. They're for people who need specialized care in a secure setting, and those living there are free to sign out -- either on their own or with permission of a family member -- at any time.

Read more in the Newark Advocate.

Texting-while-driving ban stalls in the Ohio Senate

Apr. 9, 2012, Mansfield News Journal

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

Most House members backed it. Key advocacy groups are calling for it. Yet a bill to ban texting while driving in Ohio is sitting at a very long red light.

The Ohio House passed the measure 88-10 last June, but it has since stalled in a Senate committee.

There are two reasons for the holdup...

Read more in the Mansfield News Journal.

Ohio judges bristle at new sentencing reforms

Apr. 7, 2012, Port Clinton News Herald

By Jessica Alaimo
CentralOhio.com

John Elder pleaded guilty to six counts of theft, three counts of insurance fraud and three counts of forgery in February. He stole from his church and defrauded the insurance company he worked for.

The prosecutor wanted to send him to prison. Fairfield County Common Pleas Judge Richard Berens agreed. But first, the judge had to jump through another hoop.

Last year the Ohio General Assembly passed a sweeping sentencing reform designed to reduce the prison population and promote community corrections. House Bill 86 requires judges to first consult with the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction if they want to imprison a first-time, non-violent, low-level felony offender like Elder...

Read more in the Port Clinton News Herald.

Ohio mulls 'Stand Your Ground' law

A man wearing a hoodie lurking across the street may not be a threat. A man standing 10 feet away wielding a knife may very well be.

Somewhere between those two extremes is a murky gray area that lawmakers and law enforcement attempt to draw a line through.

When is a "threat" legitimate enough to justify deadly force in protecting oneself?

Read more in the Port Clinton News Herald. 

OSU games, other events featuring beefed up security

Sept. 11, 2011, Newark Advocate

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

COLUMBUS — As you try to balance a drink and a hot dog in your hands while forming the “O,” you never know — the “H” next to you could be a plain-clothes security officer.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, security has been beefed up at Ohio State University football games, and any other event in the state that attracts thousands of people.

“Football games have a high concentration of people. Certainly that’s something that al-Qaida or those supported by them may want to target,” said Robert Glenn, head of Ohio’s Homeland Security office.

New law means more thieves will go to jails, not prisons

July 9, 2011, Fremont News-Messenger

By Jona Ison and Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Law enforcement officials fear savvy career criminals will start swiping bigger-ticket items once the law allows them to steal $999 worth of stuff and still get slapped with a misdemeanor.

In a sweeping overhaul of Ohio’s sentencing laws last month, the General Assembly approved a provision increasing the threshold for felony-level thefts and vandalism. The legislation, which aimed to keep lower-level offenders out of prison as a cost-savings issue, passed with strong bipartisan support. Gov. John Kasich signed the bill into law June 29.

Projections differ when it comes to how much the legislation will save the state. Legislative analysis puts the savings at $78 million a year, while the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections estimated savings of $46 million over four years, The Associated Press reported.

Fewer train crashes in Ohio in the 2000s

June 8, 2011, Port Clinton News Herald

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

There were half as many rail-car crashes in Ohio last year compared with a decade ago, despite an increase in train traffic. State officials say this is because of better warning systems at crossings.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio released its 2010 railroad statistics, which showed 64 car-rail crashes in 2010, down from 123 in 2001. Fatal crashes statewide fell from 13 in 2001 to four in 2010.

Throwing away ‘throw away the key’

May 8, 2011, Marion Star

By Jessica Alaimo

CentralOhio.com

Judge Richard Berens knows there are problems with Ohio’s corrections system and more needs to be done to help ex-prisoners adjust back into society.

But the Fairfield County Common Pleas judge also thinks the people he sends to prison belong there.

State lawmakers have proposed sweeping reforms to Ohio’s corrections system. A comprehensive bill passed the House on a 96-2 vote Wednesday, and it’s been the subject of ongoing Senate committee hearings. Gov. John Kasich supports the measure.

While Berens supports the bill’s efforts to reduce recidivism and boost rehabilitation, he fears some provisions will tie judges’ hands and put more stress on county departments.

The legislation would mean first-time, nonviolent, low-level felony offenders could not be sent to state prison, and instead would get three years probation. The bill also doubles the threshold for felony-level thefts, meaning more would head to the county jail on theft charges.

SB 5 revision protects death benefits

Mar. 30, 2011, Marion Star

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

Sara Winfield,whose husband was killed in the line of duty in Marion County, told a legislative committee that Senate Bill 5 might keep her and other survivors of slain police officers from getting their full benefits.

The controversial legislation seeks to curtail collective bargaining rights of public employees. On Tuesday, Republican lawmakers added a clause to protect the benefits of surviving spouses and families of officers and firefighters who die in the line of duty. The legislation goes before the full House for a vote today.

However, one Fraternal Order of Police representative said he is not sure if the complex Senate Bill 5 language would interfere with death benefits, even with the change.

Licking, Knox counties get funds to fight prescription drug abuse

Dec. 4, 2010, Newark Advocate

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

COLUMBUS — County Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health boards will split $5 million for opiate addiction treatment, Gov. Ted Strickland announced Friday.

The board for Licking and Knox counties will get $62,816, according to figures released by the governor’s office.

The funds come from a federal spending bill approved in August. Congress increased the federal contribution for Medicaid, which allowed states to spend those resources elsewhere.

Proposed change in speeding law likely won’t affect enforcement

June 27, 2010, Marion Star

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

Getting a speeding ticket based on radar is bad enough. But what about one based on a police officer’s observations?

A recently publicized development in state law means police officers need no more than a trained eye to issue a speeding ticket. A state lawmaker fears this leaves a door wide open to abuses in the system.

Passing legislation requiring officers to use a mechanical device while issuing speeding tickets will take some time, however — the General Assembly is on summer recess.

Statewide effort under way to combat drug abuse

Apr. 22, 2010, Newark Advocate

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

COLUMBUS—State Rep. Dave Burke, R-Marion, has personal experience with the dangers of prescription-drug abuse—the drugstore he runs was robbed at gunpoint last month for its supply of oxycodone.

Burke was one of 25 people who came to the table Wednesday to discuss the epidemic of deaths by drug overdose. Gov. Ted Strickland created the Ohio Prescription Drug Task Force on April 9 to find ways to curb drug addictions. About 40 people are on the task force.

The task force brings together people from Ohio’s legislative, law enforcement and health communities and is aimed at finding viable and effective solutions.

Differing rules of the road

Jan. 23, 2010, Newark Advocate

BY JESSICA ALAIMO

CentralOhio.com

NEWARK — When teenagers taught by the Neff family take their road test, some are more likely to fail than others.

It’s not how they are taught, it’s where they take the test.

Don Neff, and his daughter, Angie Winmayer, teach in Chillicothe and Circleville. Both cities have exam stations — but Circleville flunks almost twice as many applicants as Chillicothe.

There are similar trends in Licking County and across Ohio. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ Newark examination station failed drivers 8 percent of the time in 2009, while Knox and Coshocton counties had much lower rates. Fairfield and Pickaway counties were much higher.

Driving instructors cite a number of causes for this disparity. The ease of the course is a factor, as are the socioeconomics of the area.

Applicants younger than 18 must take a driver education class, which costs about $300. If they wait, they don’t have to pay for the course, but they also go into the test with no formal training.