Essays and personal posts by OJPC’s staff, volunteers, interns and clients
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 incarcerated Ohioans. Before this March, fighting for prisoners’ medical rights meant advocating and […]
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 disclosed their criminal history to me. He was […]
Written by OJPC Volunteer Lily Meyer The attorney Mark Vander Laan, who serves as the Ohio Justice & Policy Center’s Litigation Director, is not the firebrand I expected to meet. His demeanor is calm and thoughtful; he is a considered talker, given to weighing and contextualizing each idea as he shapes it. Listening to him describe […]
As we dive into a new year, here is an update on criminal-legal legislation at the Ohio Statehouse Compilation and analysis by OJPC’s Policy Director, Kevin Werner Senate Bills Pending: Senate Bill 3 (Eklund-R, O’Brien-D) Express intent to reform drug sentencing laws. S.B. 3 had its 10th hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Dec. 17. This bill is a direct result […]
It’s not like “Taken.” Human trafficking often involves much more than a dramatic abduction. By: Gabriel M. Fletcher Understanding the horrors of human trafficking requires more than an awareness that it exists. As an attorney working with survivors of both sex trafficking and labor trafficking (involuntary servitude), I am just beginning to scratch the surface […]