Cleveland, OH
Ohio Bills Would Reduce Barriers for People After Serving Criminal Sentences
Ohio lawmakers have several bills in the works that would help give Ohioans second chances after serving criminal sentences.
More than two-thirds of prisoners are re-arrested within three years of their release and half are reincarcerated, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. One in three Ohio adults has a criminal record, said Ohio Justice & Policy Center Policy Director Michaela Burriss.
“We see fathers who can’t get a job because of a decades old record,” said Ohio Justice & Policy Center CEO Gabe Davis. “We see mothers who can’t secure safe and affordable housing because of conviction. We see people who made mistakes when they were young but can’t move forward because the system simply will not let them a second.”
State Sen. Michele Reynolds, R-Canal Winchester, said second chance legislation is a priority in the Ohio legislature.
“This is not a partisan issue,” she said. “This is a humanitarian issue.”
Bills that have passed in the Ohio House
Three second chance bills have passed the Ohio House and are now in the Ohio Senate.
Ohio House Bill 296 would prohibit a court from requiring someone pay any outstanding court-assessed fines or fees from a criminal proceeding for 180 days after they are released for a prison sentence lasting a year or more.
“This allows individuals to stabilize their finances, secure essential needs like housing and focus on rebuilding their lives without the immediate pressure of debt collectors and the risk of negative consequences,” Burriss said.
Ohio state Rep. Melanie Miller, R-Ashland, introduced the bill and it passed the Ohio House in February.
Ohio House Bill 393 would expand a program that helps inmates get state identification cards before being released. The bipartisan bill unanimously passed the House in November and was introduced by state Reps. Darnell Brewer, D-Cleveland, and Gary Click, R-Vickery.
“Without (a state ID) you’re invisible to the system,” Brewer said. “We know when people are given the tools to succeed they’re less likely to return back to the justice system.”
Ohio House Bill 268 would reduce the amount of time someone must wait to apply for a Certificate of Qualification for Employment if they were incarcerated for a felony offense.
The bipartisan bill unanimously passed the House in October and was introduced by Click and state Rep. Latyna Humphrey, D-Columbus.
“(A Certificate of Qualification for Employment) doesn’t guarantee anyone a job, but what it does do is it gives people a fair shot,” Humphrey said. “It removes automatic barriers and provides employers with legal protection if they choose to hire.”
Under current Ohio law, someone who was incarcerated for a felony must wait one year after finishing all of their sanctions — which Humphrey said can last two to five years — to apply for the certificate.
This bill would change that timeline.
“Instead of forcing people to wait years, this bill allows individuals to apply for the (certificate) one year after their release from incarceration,” Humphrey said.
Other second chance bills
Ohio Senate Bill 143 would prevent private employers from asking about or considering the criminal background of a job applicant on an initial employment application.
The bipartisan bill was introduced last year by Ohio Sens. Hearcel Craig, D-Columbus, and Bill Blessing, R–Colerain Twp.
People with criminal records will often not apply to a job out of fear of having to disclose their record, Burriss said.
“Passing Senate Bill 143 gets more talent into the job pool and more people into our workforce,” she said. “It will increase revenues and public safety while decreasing the cost on our justice system overall. It is smart justice and good for Ohio businesses.”
Companion bills Ohio House Bill 626 and Ohio Senate Bill 394 would require courts to electronically notify people of criminal and traffic court hearings.
“Research has shown that this simple step can reduce failures to appear by 37%,” said Ohio Poverty Law Center Senior Policy Advocate Zack Eckles. “That is good for both individuals meaning that they will incur less unnecessary fines and fees, and it’s good for the courts so that they can operate more efficiently.”
State Rep. Josh Williams, R-Sylvania, introduced H.B. 626 in December and Blessing introduced S.B. 394 in March.
Ohio House Bill 368 would require eviction records to be automatically sealed three years after a case’s final judgement entry. Brewer introduced the bill with state Rep. Terrence Upchurch, D-Cleveland.
“Evictions can be overwhelming and cause long-term damage to credit and rental history, making it difficult to find safe and secure housing,” Brewer said. “With the rising cost of rent, grocery, daycare, daily expenses, the last thing our constituents need in these hard times is an eviction record following them for the rest of their lives.”
Reynolds introduced Ohio Senate Bill 204, which would create a procedure to suppress eviction records.
“This simply allows records to be suppressed while the case is pending in court and then permanently sealed if the tenant prevails or the case is dismissed, because no one should lose access to a home over a case that they ultimately won,” she said.
Originally published by the Ohio Capital Journal. Republished here with permission.
Related
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A woman was found dead in the backyard of a home on the city’s West side Friday morning.
Officers responded to the 3400 block of Bosworth Rd. around 9 a.m. for a welfare check.
This is in the city’s West Boulevard neighborhood.
When officers arrived at the home, they found the victim.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Officer will now determine the victim’s name and cause of death.
A child connected to the woman has been located and confirmed safe, said Cleveland police.
Police added the circumstances regarding the death remain under investigation.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
This forecast is outdated and inaccurate. Get the latest forecast here.
CLEVELAND (WJW) — (WJW) — The National Weather Service has extended its EXTREME HEAT WARNING for all of Northeast Ohio.
It will remain in effect until 8 p.m. on Friday, July 3, in Ashland, Ashtabula, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning Medina, Ottawa, Portage, Richland, Sandusky, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne counties; and until 10 p.m. Friday, July 3, in Carroll, Coshocton and Tuscarawas counties.
The heat waves continues! An EXTREME HEAT WARNING will remain in effect through 8 p.m. Friday. Heat indices could top 105 degrees during the hottest time of day on Friday.
Once again, there will not be much relief from the heat and humidity overnight. Tonight lows will be in the mid to upper 70s again. Feeling warmer with the higher humidity. Mostly clear skies.
Friday will be the last sweltering summer day before the heat starts to back off for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. There is the chance of rain and storms Friday evening, around 7pm that could go through the late evening. This may impact some 4th of July celebrations on Friday. Any storm that pops up we’ll have to watch for the potential of gusty winds, heavy downpours and large hail.
This is what the radar could look like by the time some Fireworks celebrations are expected Friday evening. We have a level 2 out of 5 chance of any storm turning severe, meaning that 1 or 2 have the chance.
The upper-level ridge, or heat dome, will start to breakdown on Friday. This means two things. The first is it will go from being very hot and humid to being very warm and humid. The second thing is the chance of rain and threat of storms will return.
The Fourth of July holiday weekend will be far from a washout! There will be more dry time than time with downpours and storms. However, clusters of downpours and storms will move through Northeast Ohio at times. This means some Fourth of July events, backyard BBQs, pool parties, and firework shows could be impacted by rain and storms.
With all the heat and humidity around, any downpours or storms that develop could be strong and produce gusty winds, small hail, torrential rain, and lightning. Here’s the latest 8 Day Forecast:
Keep up with FOX 8 News for the latest weather updates.
Abdullah Mason and Albert Bell previewed their championship bout and came face to face at the press conference. The two fighters square off this Saturday, July 4, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.
- Cleveland-based 22-year-old southpaw Mason (20-0, 17 KOs) of Bedford, Ohio, defends his WBO lightweight title after claiming the vacant belt last November by decision against Sam Noakes.
- Toledo’s 33-year-old Bell (28-0, 9 KOs), who makes his first bid to become a champion, took the fight on short notice, replacing Joe Cordina of Wales.
See below what Mason and Bell had to say at the press conference on Thursday, following the open workout.
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Mason: I’m prepared to come out on top
“I’m excited. I’m super excited,” Mason said. “This is something me and my brothers have been looking forward to doing since we were amateurs. We fought on the same card a few times as amateurs, and all of us did it together on the last show my father threw here in Cleveland. It was huge.”
“At that time, we were like, ‘Yo, when we do this on a professional level, it’s going to be big for Cleveland.’ And now, it’s big for not only Cleveland, but it’s on TNT, so this is a national stage, a world stage with DAZN. I’m just excited to be able to put this show on with two of my brothers on the card.”
“I feel like it [fight vs Sam Noakes] was definitely a much-needed experience. That’s not the type of fight you have all the time in your career. It was something I felt like I had to do that night. Every fight is different, and it definitely gave me some insight into how I’ll approach the rest of my career. So, it was a much-needed experience and a great fight.”
“It [opponent change] was definitely unexpected. Albert Bell – that’s our guy from Toledo. But it’s boxing. You’ve got to be prepared for anything, and I’m prepared to come out on top. Everything happens for a reason.”
“One thing I do want to say is, I’m the youngest world champion in boxing for a reason, and I’m prepared to show that when I step into the ring.”
“Boxing is offense, defense and IQ, and you’ve got to put it together and tailor it to the person you’re stepping in the ring with. So, with the opponent switch, I just have to tailor it to the person across the ring from me, and that’s Albert Bell.”
Bell: We’re here now, and that’s all that matters
“I mean, it caught me by surprise,” Bell said on stepping in to face Mason on short notice. “It was an ideal opponent for me. I wasn’t really thinking about fighting Abdullah, especially not this soon. But everything made sense. I talked to my pops about it, and it made sense, so I stepped in to save the card, get my world title opportunity and put on a show for all of Ohio.”
“I mean, I get turned down by a lot of guys. I’m not saying that in a cocky way or trying to act like I’m the boogeyman or anything like that, but a lot of guys say no when my name comes across their table. I would’ve had the name I was supposed to have by now if it weren’t for that, but what’s delayed is not denied. We’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”
“I just need to be the best version of myself. I know he’s coming to be the best version of himself. He’s prepared, I’m prepared. We’re ready. We’re two top fighters, and we’re professionals. We’re both Ohioans. We’ve got history with each other, and it’s gonna be a show for sure.”
Mason vs Bell undercard
In the co-feature, Bruce Carrington (17-0, 10 KOs) of Brooklyn makes the first defense of his WBC featherweight title against Rene Palacios (19-0-1, 10 KOs) of Mexico.
On the undercard, Cleveland’s Delante “Tiger” Johnson (17-0, 8 KOs) takes on Canada-based Mexican Christopher Guerrero (16-0, 9 KOs) at welterweight.
Plus, Deric Davis (11-0, 10 KOs) of Fort Washington, Maryland, and Carlos Ramos (18-4-1, 10 KOs) of Spain by way of Ecuador, square off at lightweight.
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