Recent discourse about public safety in Cincinnati reflects real and urgent concerns—concerns we must address with both compassion and clarity.
The Ohio Justice & Policy Center urges public officials at all levels, all law enforcement agencies, and all members of our broader community to respond in ways that are measured, not reactionary.
We cannot afford to minimize the effects of violence in our streets, nor can we neglect the real pain experienced by victims of crime. But neither can we afford to double down on failed solutions that exacerbate Ohio’s costly mass incarceration crisis, stoke racial division, and weaken our ability to invest in our kids’ future.
The way to ensure the law’s protection for all of us is to respond to violence with approaches that actually work—smart approaches that are data-based, promote healing, and build a stronger, safer Cincinnati for everyone.
OJPC believes that the strongest response to crime is to adopt strategies that respect civil rights and sustain public trust.
We must ensure that interventions aimed at interrupting violence do not simply default to incarceration, do not deepen racial disparities, and do not ignore the root causes of crime.
The stakes are too high to get this wrong. Let’s choose solutions that move us forward together, both in Cincinnati and all across the state that we love and call home.