The International Socialist Organization, or ISO, held a panel to discuss Issue 1, otherwise known as the “Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment, and Rehabilitation Amendment” on Thursday.
The amendment would take the penalties for some drug charges from felonies to misdemeanors. It would also prohibit jail time as a sentence for obtaining, possessing or using such drugs until an individual's third offense within 24 months, according to a previous Post report.
The panelists discussed four points that the issue touches on. Panelists included Amanda Kiger, Andrea Reany, Elise Westenbarger and Joannah Tindongen.
The first point that the panelists discussed was changing some charges related to drugs from felonies to misdemeanors. By doing that, $137 million would be saved and the money would be used for mental health treatment, Kiger said.
Kiger said that the prison system does not help those that are trying to recover from addiction because they do not qualify for help within that system.
The second point the panelists mentioned is that the bill will make it so that people on probation cannot be recharged with the same crime. An example one panelist used is when a drug-related offender cannot attend a meeting because they are working to support their family. In that instance, the judicial system would not be able to charge someone because they had prior commitments.
In the next part of the discussion, Westenbarger said that the bill would change the system to allow inmates to reduce their sentences by attending work or education events.
The national average that a prisoner can earn back from their sentences is 25 percent, but in Ohio it is only 8 percent, Westenbarger said.
The final part of the bill discussed at the ISO panel was that it would allow money to be put back into mental health and rehabilitation services.
