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Majority of Voters Say There's a Need for Criminal Justice Reforms

 Black Lives Matter protest, Columbus, 2020
Jo Ingles
/
Statehouse News Bureau
Columbus was one of many locations for Black Lives Matter protests throughout Ohio in the summer of 2020. According to those who have backed a new poll, the protests and other current crises have prompted many voters to think differently about criminal justice and want reform.

A new poll paid for by the ACLU of Ohio, and with questions developed by a bipartisan coalition, shows the majority of Ohio voters want changes in the criminal justice system. And they want changes in the cash bail system, too. 

Pollster Brian Tringali says 75% of the Ohioan voters polled say the criminal justice system needs to be reformed, but he says working women are adamant about it. He says politicians need to realize that. 

“The key to try to motivate and move into your camp, if you will, are working women, key to many campaigns today. And they are the most likely to be focused on this issue,” Tringali said.

Two-thirds of voters want bail based on individual cases and not a person’s wealth. The progressive ACLU of Ohio and the conservative Americans for Prosperity say they agree and feel criminal justice reform needs to be addressed immediately. 

Backers of the poll say they think attention brought to the criminal justice issue last summer through the Black Lives Matter protests and the reach of the opioid problem in Ohio has caused many voters to think about criminal justice reform differently than they had in the past.
Copyright 2021 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.

Jo Ingles
Jo Ingles is a professional journalist who covers politics and Ohio government for the Ohio Public Radio and Television for the Ohio Public Radio and Television Statehouse News Bureau. She reports on issues of importance to Ohioans including education, legislation, politics, and life and death issues such as capital punishment.