by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Feb 18, 2021 | Death Penalty, News, Policy Reform
COLUMBUS, OH—State Senators Stephen Huffman (R-Tipp City) and Nickie J. Antonio (D-Lakewood) announced a bipartisan death penalty repeal bill Thursday morning during a virtual press conference. The Senators were joined by several colleagues from both the House and...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Jan 6, 2021 | Blog
How Lisa Montgomery Entered the Cycle of Violence By: Verjine Adanalian, OJPC staff attorney It is understandably uncomfortable to learn that sex trafficking can (and does) occur in our very own backyards. What is especially difficult to accept is how much sex...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Nov 20, 2020 | Blog, Policy Reform
Take action on priority criminal-legal reform legislation The 2020 lame duck legislative session is underway in Ohio, and legislators need to hear from you! Phone calls, emails, even tweets are effective and essential ways to advocate for change — and it’s...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Oct 22, 2020 | Blog, Interns
I spent the summer of 2019 as an OJPC intern after my first year of law school. OJPC had been on my radar even before law school began. I was drawn to their commitment to not only address one-on-one client issues, but also to make large-scale systemic policy changes...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Jul 6, 2020 | Reducing Collateral Sanctions, Second Chance
What does it mean to seal a record? How is that different from expungement? Sealing a record means that it should no longer be available through publicly available records or background checks, though it may still be available to some employers, such as many schools...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Jul 3, 2020 | News, Policy Reform, Sentencing Reform
On June 30, the Senate passed SB3 by a 25-4 vote. This is a bill that primarily focuses on drug resentencing, but it also expands record sealing in ways that will help many OJPC clients who face barriers to employment, housing, and education due to their criminal...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Jun 4, 2020 | News, Policy Reform
On June 4, after more than a week of protests across the United States and almost three months into a global pandemic, The Ohio Justice & Policy Center and the Cincinnati Black United Front released a list of eight recommendations. These are concrete ways for law...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Jun 4, 2020 | Blog, News
By: Lily Meyer The lawyers and staff of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center were concerned about Ohio prisoners’ health long before the coronavirus pandemic began. OJPC’s flagship Human Rights in Prison program advocates for adequate access to health care for all...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | May 5, 2020 | Blog, News
When Alexis Ke’Erica Martin walked out of prison, she was overjoyed – and so were many others. Her step into the prison parking lot marked a major step toward true freedom, after a life of human trafficking and incarceration. Alexis was ready for the next...
by Marais Jacon-Duffy | Apr 14, 2020 | Blog, Second Chance
I used to interview people, mostly teenagers, to work in food service at a local amusement park over the summer. I had to ask everyone about their criminal history and let them know that a disclosure would not prevent them from becoming employed. Only one person ever...
