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Issue 1 Will
Help Thousands of Ohioans Re-enter Workforce
Each year, barriers that keep people with
criminal convictions from getting certain jobs contribute to
$3.4 billion in foregone wages,
according to new analysis from Policy Matters
Ohio.
From getting a fishing license to running Bingo games, Ohio
has more than 1,000 laws that limit what people previously
convicted of a crime can do: some 850 relate specifically to
jobs and entrepreneurship. These roadblocks range from a
background check to an outright prohibition against working
in a certain job. One in four jobs in Ohio contain these
hurdles, known as collateral sanctions for punishing people
long after they served their time. On average, they pay 10
percent -- $4,700 -- more, according to Policy Matters Ohio.
Issue 1 reclassifies minor drug possession felonies as
misdemeanors. The report finds 524 are triggered by a drug
conviction, and 296 of them apply to felonies only. Issue 1
removes those barriers to work for Ohioans with a drug
conviction and no more serious crime.
"Issue 1 opens up more jobs to people by reducing nonviolent
drug offenses from felonies to misdemeanors," Policy Matters
Researcher Michael Shields said. "When people can earn a
living, their chances of committing another crime drops.
That makes our communities safer."
If Issue 1 passes, people convicted of nonviolent, low-level
drug possession, or those who commit non-criminal probation
violations, will be redirected to community sanctions or
treatment instead of prison. People in prison will be able
to earn sentence reductions by participating in education
and rehabilitation programs. The money saved by reducing the
prison population will be redirected to communities to fund
victims' services, rehabilitation and safety programs.
Ohio law limits access to public sector jobs, careers in
health care, driving jobs, and more. Because many are in one
of Ohio's strongest industries – health care – jobs with
these barriers are among the state's fastest growing. By
2024, they are projected to grow by 11 percent versus 5.4
percent.
Ohio's growing drug crisis affects people across the state.
Women are a growing share of the state's prison population –
nearly 39 percent are there for drug offenses, compared to
25 percent of men. African Americans are six times more
likely to be convicted of a drug offense, even though they
use drugs at similar rates of white people.
"Ohio has one of the worst drug epidemics in the nation,"
Shields said. "If Issue 1 doesn't pass, more people will
find themselves locked out of the job market. That's not
good for anyone." |
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Copyright © 2018 by [The Sojourner's Truth]. All rights reserved.
Revised:
10/17/18 22:22:45 -0400. |
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