Gov. Mike DeWine looks to overhaul Ohio's justice system

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is calling for more than two dozen changes to the state’s juvenile justice system, based off recommendations from a working group he put together nine months ago.

“One of our top priorities is the protection of children,” DeWine said. “All children deserve the opportunity to live up to their full god given potential and that means all children.”

“While we have our work cut out for us, I truly believe these recommendations will serve as a roadmap as we head into a new and positive direction to reshape, reshape juvenile justice in Ohio,” said Amy Ast, Director of the Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS).

After nine months of work, the governor’s Juvenile Justice Working Group has put forth 26 recommendations. For example -- increasing behavioral health resources for youth by doing things like creating an additional staff position to focus on gang behaviors and providing more consistent treatment and continuity of care to DYS youth.

“This can be such a critical piece of our work with the youth,” Ast said.

The seventh recommendation asks the legislature to craft and pass a bill to increase the minimum age for youth commitments to DYS from ten to 14.

"Quite frankly DYS is not designed for elementary middle school kids,” Ast said. “The average age of DYS today is 17.8. So, we're hoping that with this recommendation, we could get some support from the legislature to serve those kids in a different environment.”

Other recommendations have to do with the legal system and how certain youth go through it. For example, recommendation eight asks for legislation to allow juvenile judges to “use their discretion when scenting youth adjudicated of gun specifications.” And recommendation nine urges legislation to prohibit certain first-time violent offenders.

While some of the recommendations are still ideas that will need the support of the legislature, some are already in action. For example, of the recommendations, state lawmakers have already allocated $287 million in the capital budget. That money will help with projects like replacing the three large juvenile campuses in the state with twelve smaller 36-bed facilities, starting in Cuyahoga County.

“System transformation is not just about changing the physical plant, but it includes shifting away from facilities that are institutional in character and design and moving towards building environments that are trauma informed with trauma responsive practices,” Ast said.

The money will also help with the creation of new community correction facilities. CCFs are designed for low-level nonviolent offenders, and supporters said are a better option in the long term. Right now, the three largest counties in the state, Hamilton, Franklin, and Cuyahoga do not have one, despite their need for one, DeWine said.

DeWine said he has not yet had any specific conversations with lawmakers at the statehouse yet about crafting legislation to enact these recommendations.

“I've had no specific discussions," DeWine said. "Obviously, the four members who advised this group, you know, were very much involved in and they certainly have seen it, but I've had no discussion with them."