OPINION: The reason the database is not up and running right now is because Ohio judges are still having a conversation about whether the information in the database should be kept secret, writes Eric Foster.
. The Commission stated, “A data-informed approach allows for the creation of sound state policy, which leads to maximized public safety, a reduction in recidivism, and equalized justice.”
This conversation largely took place outside of public forums until last week. Last week, cleveland.com’s Cory Shaffer reported that the Ohio Common Pleas Judges’ Association — through its president, Morrow County Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Hickson — expressed its desireJudge Hickson wrote, “In short, the OCPJA has significant concerns that broad accessibility to the data would negatively impact the independence of the judiciary and interfere with its discretion in sentencing decisions.
We all appreciate and understand being concerned that, if information in the database is made publicly accessible, it can be used to critique how judges use their judicial discretion. But any public official can tell you, critique is part of the game. Life in the public sphere requires a thick skin. You pave your way with the stones that people throw at you.
The OCPJA is understandably concerned about the publicly accessible database being used to vilify judges. Yes, that might happen. But what the OCPJA forgets is that they themselves have the ability to limit that risk. Or, if not limit it, at least put themselves in a position to have a clear and concise response readily available when it occurs.
Suppose all of Ohio’s sentencing judges agreed to start putting information into a sentencing database beginning on Jan. 1, 2023. What that would mean is that, from that date forward, all of them, even the concerned ones, would have the knowledge that the public is watching. Armed with that knowledge, judges can anticipate possible critiques as they perform their duties.
Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Activists Protest Foster City's Plan to Kill 100 Geese Over Poop Problem, Health RiskAnimal rights activists protest Foster City's plan to kill 100 geese. NBCian has more and why the city continues to move forward:
Read more »
VA Foster Program Helps Older Vets Manage COVID ChallengesMedical foster homes are privately owned homes in which a licensed caregiver lives with and supervises residents around the clock. Caregivers help aging veterans with activities of daily living like bathing, cooking, making and getting to appointments, getting dressed, and taking daily medication.
Read more »
UT Health nursing school awarded $4 million federal grant to expand foster care health servicesThe grant will fund access to community-based health care in 28 counties under a new...
Read more »
Eric Adams says Carl Heastie agreed to review NYC repeat offender dataMayor Eric Adams said he had a “great” talk with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie about rolling back the state’s bail-reform law.
Read more »
‘Wilderness’: Ashley Benson, Eric Balfour Among Cast Additions To Amazon Drama SeriesAshley Benson (Her Smell), Eric Balfour (Six Feet Under), Claire Rushbrook (Sherwood), Marsha Stephanie Blake (Orange Is the New Black) and Morgana Van Peebles (Superstition) have been cast opposit…
Read more »
Mayor Eric Adams calls New York a laughingstock over bail lawsNew York City Mayor Eric Adams calls New York the laughingstock of the rest of the country due to the state's so-called bail reform laws.
Read more »